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Toba 
Human  Etu 


By 
FREDERICK  J.  PACK,  Ph.  D., 

Deseret  Professor  of  Geology 
University  of  Utah 


Published  by  the  rhn^k     c  t 

y  rne  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 

of  Latter-day  Saints 


THE  DESERET  NEWS 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 

1918 


Copyrighted  by 

JOSEPH  F.  SMITH, 

Trustee- in-Trust  for  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 

of  Latter-day  Saints 

1918" 


TO  THE  UNBOUNDED 
POSSIBILITIES  OF  THE 
YOUTH  OF  ISRAEL 
THIS  WORK  IS  HOPE- 
FULLY      DEDICATED 


55G265 


^      Foreword 

Several  years  ago  the  writer  conducted  a  party,  con- 
sisting of  nearly  forty  college  men,  in  a  geological 
examination  of  a  Nevada  mining  district.  During  the 
afternoon  of  the  second  day  of  reconnaissance  work  it 
became  necessary  in  the  mapping  of  some  general  geo- 
logical features  to  ascend  the  principal  mountain  of  the 
district.  After  a  brief  conference  at  the  base  of  the 
peak  the  men  started  off.  The  group  soon  thinned 
out  into  a  long  knotted  line,  such  that  when  those- at 
the  head  had  gained  the  summit  those  at  the  rear  were 
scarcely  more  than  half  way  up  the  slope.  The  writer 
reached  the  top  with  the  first  small  squad,  and  while 
awaiting  for  others  to  arrive  he  talked  leisurely  with 
those  about  him  concerning  various  more  or  less  im- 
portant subjects.  Some  one  in  the  group  ventured  the 
query  a-  to  why  certain  men  were  always  in  the  rear. 
and  another  asserted  that  in  this  case  they  were  all 
smokers. 

Although  the  matter  was  discussed  but  briefly  and 
then  dropped,  it  started  the  writer  upon  a  long  line  of 
observation.  At  first  he  placed  but  little  confidence 
in  the  opinion  expressed  by  one  of  the  men  that  even  a 
moderate  use  of  tobacco  incapacitates  a  man  for  stren- 
Bious  mountain  climbing,  yet  the  subject  seemed  so  vital 
that  he  determined  to  keep  it  in  mind.  During  the  fol- 
lowing week  the  writer  made  note  of  the  fact  that  al- 
most  without   exception   the   same   men    were   late   in 


vi  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

reaching  camp  night  after  night,  and  strangely  enough 
they  were  nearly  all  smokers.  It  seemed  probable,  how- 
ever, that  this  might  be  accounted  for  on  the  assump- 
tion that  they  had  leisurely  strolled  into  camp  while 
enjoying  their  pipes. 

Some  time  during  that  week  the  work  outlined  for 
one  of  the  days  was  completed  slightly  later  than  mid- 
afternoon.  It  was  suggested  by  some  one  that  the  party 
take  a  "hike"  over  the  hills  to  a  spring  probably  five 
miles  distant.  The  entire  party  agreed  and  was  soon 
off.  Before  half  a  mile  had  been  covered  the  compe- 
tition of  youth  had  brought  every  individual  into  <* 
swinging  run.  The  course  was  not  marked  by  path  or 
road  but  extended  over  rolling  hills  here  and  there 
interrupted  by  narrow  steep  canyons  and  deep  ravines. 
In  about  one  hour  those  who  had  kept  the  lead  reached 
the  spring  and  then  waited  in  the  scanty  shade  of 
nearby  cedars  for  others  to  arrive.  After  waiting  for 
probably  half  an  hour,  and  when  scarcely  two  thirds 
of  the  party  had  reached  the  spring,  the  return  trip 
was  begun.  The  stragglers  were  picked  up  at  various 
points  along  the  homeward  course. 

That  night  after  supper  the  matter  of  the  "hike" 
came  up  for  discussion,  and  those  who  did  not  reach 
the  spring  came  in  for  no  little  criticism  at  the  hands 
of  their  companions.  The  reasons  given,  however, 
seemed  ample  :  One  had  separated  from  the  group  and 
lost  his  way;  another  had  sprained  his  ankle;  another 
had  broken  a  shoe  lace;  another  had  stepped  on  a  cac- 
tus plant  and  stopped  to  remove  the  spines;  and  an- 
other had  remained  behind  to  assist  a  companion.     The 


FOREWORD  vii 

fact,  however,  that  practically  every  man  who  had 
failed  to  reach  the  spring  was  a  smoker,  made  a  deep 
impression  upon  several  of  those  present. 

Experience  with  "arious  groups  of  college  men  year 
after  year  gradually  brought  the  writer  face  to  face 
with  the  fact  that  smokers  are  far  less  active  in  field 
work  than  are  non-smokers.  They  almost  invariably 
fall  behind  in  long  marches  and  quick  steep  climbs. 
Whether,  however,  this  is  due  to  inability  or  disinclina- 
tion is  quite  another  question. 

On  a  subsequent  occasion  the  writer  conducted  an- 
other party  of  college  men  over  one  of  the  desert 
mountain  ranges  west  of  Great  Salt  Lake.  Upon  get- 
ting off  at  the  nearest  railroad  station  it  was  learned 
that  the  expected  conveyances  had  not  arrived  and  that 
the  party  would  have  to  walk  some  seven  miles  to  camp. 
No  time  was  lost  in  getting  started,  as  the  sun  was  then 
but  a  short  distance  above  the  hprizon  and  the  path 
was  but  poorly  marked  and  unfamiliar  to  e'very  mem- 
ber of  the  party. 

The  group  started  .off  on  a  brisk  walk  which  almost 
immediately  changed  into  a  swinging  run.  The  writer 
fell  into  one  of  the  rear  groups  so  that  he  might  study 
at  first  hand  the  attitude  of  smokers  toward  long  stren- 
uous activity.  Note  was  made  of  the  fact  that  im- 
mediately after  the  running  began  every  pipe  disap- 
peared— a  thing  which  of  itself  has  a  remarkable  mean- 
ing. For  the  first  mile  none  of  the  men  showed  marked 
signs  of  lagging,  but  from  then  on  the  smokers  gradu- 
ally fell  farther  and  farther  into  the  rear.  For  the  pur- 
pose of  learning  whether  they  were  faltering  because 


-i;i  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIEN<  \ 

of  inability  or  indisposition  the  writer  tried  in  many 
ways  to  encourage  them  to  greater  exertion.  The  re- 
sponse at  first  was  good,  but  of  short  duration.  The 
writer  ran  for  more  than  a  mile  side  by  side  with  a 
strong  robust  fellow  and  encouraged  him  at  practically 
every  step.  Finally  he  sank  to  the  ground  and  explained 
that  it  was  absolutely  impossible  for  him  to  go  further. 
Other  smokers  were  overtaken,  but  each  one  in  turn 
gave  up  the  race  and  walked  slowly  toward  cam]). 

That  night  the  first  group  of  men  to  reach  the  cabin 
consisted  wholly  of  non-smokers,  then  came  a  single 
smoker,  then  more  non-smokers,  then  smokers  and  non- 
smokers  and  finally  smokers  alone.  The  last  men  to 
come  in  were  fully  an  hour  behind  the  leaders.  The 
writer's  experience  with  the  smokers  mi  this  occasion 
impressed  him  very  stri  mgly  with  the  belief  that  they 
remained  behind  primarily  because  they  could  not  help 
it.  He  had  seen  them  again  and  again  resolutely  spring 
forward  and  quickly  lapse  apparently  through  sheer 
fatigue. 

Another  opportunity  for  the  testing  of  this  particular 
point  presented  itself  the  same  season.  During  the 
course  of  a  trolley  ride  to  the  field  it  was  observed  that 
nearly  one-half  of  the  men  were  indulging  in  the  use 
of  tobacco.  Theretofore  no  mention  had  been  made'of 
the  fact  that  the  writer  had  been  comparing  the  ability 
of  the  two  groups,  but  on  this  occasion  attention  was 
called  to  the  matter.  The  men  were  informed  that  in 
the  opinion  of  the  writer  the  smokers  would  not  be 
able  to  endure  with  the  non-smokers  over  the  veritable 
wash-board    of   mountains    marking    the    path    of   the 


FOREWORD  ix 

return  trip.  At  first  the  smokers  did  not  seem  to  take 
the  matter  seriously,  but  after  some  discussion  among 
themselves  they  resolutely  announced  their  acceptance 
of  what  was  in  reality  a  challenge  of  their  physical 
manhood. 

Throughout  the  day  remarks  were  frequently  made 
of  the  coming  contest,  for  which  every  man  appeared 
eager.  About  three  hours  before  sunset  the  homeward 
trip  of  some  ten  miles  across  the  mountains  was  begun. 
For  two  or  three  miles  the  men  remained  side  by  side. 
On  one  occasion  when  a  short  stop  for  "wind"  was 
made  the  smokers  tauntingly  remarked  that  during  the 
next  "heat"  they  were  going  to  sprint  ahead  and  leave 
the  non-smokers  in  their  "dust".  But  when  the  next 
rest  came  several  of  the  smokers  had  fallen  behind  and 
did  not  catch  up  before  the  party  was  off  again.  Then 
came  the  real  test  of  endurance ;  the  country  changed 
from  rolling  hills  to  a  series  of  long,  steep,  jagged 
mountains,  alternating  with  sharp  canyons.  The  full 
seriousness  of  the  test  seemed  to  be  borne  by  every  man. 
Conversation  ceased,  all  available  energy  apparently 
being  conserved  for  the  physical  demands  of  the  mom- 
ent. 

The  result  of  the  day's  trip  revealed  nothing  un- 
usual. That  night  as  the  first  squad,  consisting  of  eight 
men,  climbed  through  the  campus  fence  the  writer 
asked  as  to  how  many  used  tobacco.  Seven  were  com- 
plete abstainers  and  the  remaining  one  said  that  he 
probably  smoked  an  average  of  one  cigar  per  week. 
Idle  individuals  who  immediately  followed  were  prac- 


x  TO  BACCO  A  XI)  II  U  MAX  E  F  I-'l  C I  i-:  NCY 

tic-ally  all  non-smokers,  and  as  usual  those  in  the  far 
rear  were  smokers. 

Of  recent  years  the  writer  has  had  a  wide  variety 
of  experience  with  various  groups  of  college  men  en- 
gaged in  geological  field  work,  and  in  every  instance, 
where  intense  physical  activity  has  been  brouught  into 
play,  the  smokers  have  shown  their  inferiority.  Fur- 
thermore, the  matter  has  become  so  well  established  in 
the  mind  of  the  writer,  that  no  surprise  whatever  is 
occas-ioned  when  the  smokers  begin  to  lag.  in  fact  it 
is  expected  that  they  will  do  so. 

The  reason  for  this  inferior  physical  activity  is 
without  doubt  at  least  two-fold.  In  the  first  place  the 
narcotic  effect  of  tobacco  actually  reduces  desire  for 
activity,  and  |in  the  second  place  actually  destroys 
ability.  Experience  lias  overwhelmingly  convinced  the 
writer  that  smokers  have  far  less  desire  for  physical 
activity  than  have  non-smokers  and  that  they  are  far 
less  able  to  indulge  in  it. 

Readers  of  the  foregoing  brief  statement  may  recall 
some  instance  in  which  a  smoker  has  shown  greater 
endurance  or  strength  than  a  non-smoker,  and,  in  con- 
sequence, may  feel  that  there  is  g 1  reason  for  differ- 
ing with  the  writer's  conclusion  as  stated  in  the  next 
preceding  paragraph.  It  is  important  to  bear  in  mind, 
however,  that  in  such  a  matter  as  this,  conclusions 
should  never  be  drawn  when  but  few  individuals  are 
engaged.  In  order  to  obtain  reliable  results  large  num- 
bers must  be  involved.  It  is  here  pertinent  to  note  that 
no  case  has  ever  been  reported  in  which  a  large  group 
of  smokers  has  shown  greater  physical  endurance  than 


FOREWORD  xi 

a  similar  group  of  non-smokers,  while  the  reverse  of 
this  everywhere  holds. 

Physical  inferiority  among  tobacco  users  has  now 
become  so  well  known  that  they  themselves  commonly 
admit  it,  but  they  try  to  avoid  the  personal  application 
of  a  general  truth  by  asserting  that  many  individuals 
are  immune  to  its  poisonous  action.  They  argue  that 
while  certain  individuals  with  weak  constitutions  may 
suffer  from  the  use  of  tobacco,  others  more  robustly 
built  are  not  adversely  affected  by  it,  and,  strangely 
enough,  such  defenders  almost  invariably  consider  that 
they  themselves  belong  to  the  exempted  class.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  it  seems  to  be  very  difficult  for  a  smoker 
to  believe  that  he  himself  is  seriously  handicapped  by 
the  habit.  Young  smokers  very  commonly  resent  any 
imputation  of  their  physical  deficiency,  and  even  after 
absolute  demonstration  is  made  are  slow  to  accept  the 
facts. 

The  point  of  vital  importance  in  this  immediate  con- 
nection, however,  is:  "Are  the  deleterious  effects  of  to- 
bacco upon  men  limited  to  the  physically  weak  and  to 
others  of  special  idiosyncrasy,  or  do  the  effects  reach 
out  to  every  individual  no  matter  how  robust  he  may 
be?"  For  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  facts  bearing 
up:  m  this  matter  the  present  writer  recently  collected 
data  from  a  large  number  of  athletic  coaches  relative 
to  the  physical  condition  of  football  men,  both  smokers 
and  non-|smokers.  The  results  thus  collected  from 
American  universities  show  that  smoking  is  associated 
with  an  average  reduction  in  lung  capacity  amounting 
to  9.2%.     Inferiority  is  shown  not  only  in  the  average 


xii  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

of  all  institutions  reporting  but  also  in  those  of  every 
team.  The  full  significance  of  these  facts  can  properly 
he  estimated  only  when  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  the 
men  here  involved  represent  our  extreme  height  of 
physical  perfection.  When  tobacco  robs  our  most  ro- 
bust men  of  practically  ten  per  cent  of  their  lung  ca- 
pacity there  certainly  can  be  no  question  of  its  ill  effects 
upon  all  others. 

Athletic  coaches  universally  prohibit  the  use  of  to- 
bacco to  all  men  in  training,  and  the  men  themselves 
not  only  readily  accede  to  the  regulations  but  they  ad- 
mit the  wisdom  of  such.  One  of  the  least  understand- 
able things  in  this  connection  is  that  an  athlete  who  is 
fully  acquainted  with  the  necessity  of  abstaining  from 
tobacco  while  in  training,  should  permit  himself  to  re- 
turn to  it  after  the  season  is  over.  The  fact  certainly 
holds  that  if  tobacco  is  bad  for  an  athlete  while  in  train- 
ing it  is  equally  bad  for  him  while  out  of  training. 

The  effects  of  tobacco  do  not  strike  alone  at  physical 
efficiency.  It  has  now  become  a  demonstrated  fact 
that  its  use  in  institutions  of  learning  is  everywhere 
accompanied  by  low  scholarship.  The  results  are  the 
same  in  the  grades,  in  the  high  schools  and  in  the  col 
leges..  Literally  scores  of  investigations  in  various 
sections  of  the  country  have  failed  to  report  a  single 
exception. 

The  scholastic  standing  of  smokers,  as  revealed  by 
examination  of  college  and  university  records,  averages 
close  to  ten  per  cent  below  that  of  non-smokers.  At 
first  thought  it  may  appear  that  this  inferiority  is  not 
sufficient  to  count   for  much  in  the  matter  of  success 


FOREWORD  xiii 

or  failure.  It  cannot  be  stated  too  positively,  however, 
that  in  these  days  of  close  competition,  the  great  bulk  of 
mankind  are  making  or  losing  on  margins  much 
smaller  than  this.  An  individual  who  today  can  make 
a  mouse-trap  or  an  ocean-liner,  a  few  per  cent  better 
than  his  closest  competitor  is  assured  of  success. 

One  should  probably  not  be  too  hasty  in  concluding 
that  simply  because  low  scholarship  is  associated  with 
tobacco  that  the  latter  is  solely  responsible  for  the  in- 
feriority. It  is  now  commonly  argued  by  defenders  of 
the  habit  that  smokers  are  not  mentally  inferior  because 
of  smoking-,  but  that  they  smoke  because  of  lower  initial 
mentality.  Even  though  the  admission  is  a  most  un- 
complimentary one.  yet  many  tobacco  adherents  are 
willing-  to  make  it  rather  than  abandon  the  habit. 
Then  again,  the}-  often  argue  that  at  college  the  social 
class  is  made  up  largely  of  smokers,  that  attention  to 
society  detracts  from  scholarship,  and,  therefore,  that 
smokers  fall  below  non-smokers  primarily  because  of 
the  greater  demands  upon  their  time  outside  of  school. 

Both  arguments  are  interesting,  and  both  probably 
contain  some  merit.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  how- 
ever, that  investigations  in  which  all  of  the  subjects 
were  eating  the  same  kind  of  food,  carrying  the  same 
amount  of  college  work,  getting  the  same  amount  of 
sleep,  and  taking  the  same  amount  of  phvsical  exerri-e 
have  shown  that  smokers  fall  below  non-smokers  in 
scholastic  standing.  Furthermore,  through  the  em- 
ployment of  simple  devices,  it  has  recentlv  been  dem- 
onstrated that  even  in  case  of  those  accustomed  to  the 
habit,  the  smoking  of  a  single  cigar  is  followed  almost 


xiv  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

immediately  by  a  reduction  of  mental  ability  amounting 
to  practically  ten  per  cent. 

Tobacco  is  now  being  condemned  from  a  wide  va- 
riety of  sources.  Manufactureres  are  coming  to  be- 
lieve that  men  who  use  tobacco,  especially  in  the  form 
of  cigarettes,  are  not  as  proficient  as  those  who  abstain. 
Bankers  regard  cigarettists  as  undesirable,  largely  be- 
cause of  their  reduced  moral  and  social  sense.  Edu- 
cators everywhere  report  low  scholarship  as  a  close 
associate  of  the  habit.  Juvenile  court  officials  are  al- 
most a  unit  in  the  belief  that  tobacco  is  a  strongly 
contributive  factor  in  juvenile  deliquency.  Merchants 
discriminate  against  cigarette  smokers  in  the  employ- 
ment of  boys  and  young  men  for  responsible  positions. 
Many  physicians  and  hospital  surgeons  are  disclaiming 
against  the  use  of  tobacco,  especially  in  the  form  of  cig- 
arettes, largely  because  of  the  damaging  effect  it  exerts 
on  practically  every  vital  organ  of  the  body.  And  then 
the  masses  are  condemning  it  because  of  the  pro- 
nounced impairment  of  the  social  sense  in  a  large  ma- 
jority  of  those  who  use  it.  There  are,  of  course,  a  great 
many  excellent  men  who  have  not  as  yet  aligned  them- 
selves against  the  tobacco  evil,  yet  during  the  past  few 
years  their  number  has  very  materially  decreased. 

It  is  of  course  apparent  that  many  men  who  use  to- 
bacco have  made  remarkable  success  even  under  its 
handicap,  vet  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  their  work 
would  have  been  much  easier,  happier  and  more  ef- 
fective without  it.  Such  men  seem  to  have  been  suc- 
cessful not  because  of  it.  but  in  spite  of  it. 

In  the  following  pages  the  writer  has  attempted  to 


FOREWORD  xv 

outline  fairly  and  without  prejudice  the  findings  of 
modern  investigation  touching  the  matter  of  tobacco 
and  its  influence  on  man's  efficiency.  In  putting  these 
truths  into  writing  effort  has  constantly  been  made  to 
avoid  giving  offense  to  the  great  army  of  splendid 
gentlemen  who  use  tobacco  and  who  are  trying  to  re- 
spect the  rights  of  others.  Any  apparent  discourtesy 
on  the  part  of  the  writer  should  be  credited  to  his  en- 
thusiasm in  a  subject  which  he  believes  to  be  of  vital 
importance  to  the  human  family,  and  not  to  any  in- 
tentional desire  to  offend  or  to  invade  the  rights  of 
others. 


Contents 

Foreword    v 

Composition  of  Tobacco  and  Tobacco  Smoke...        1 

Poisonous   Factors  of  Tobacco 9 

Genera]   Physiological  Effects  of  Tobacco 23 

The  Smoker  and  the  Smoked 33 

Cigarettes    Especially   Objectionable 40 

Are  Men  Immune  ? 49 

Tobacco  and  Alcohol 57 

Tobacco  and  Disease 55 

■  Physical    Activity    97 

Tobacco  and  College  Scholarship Ill 

Attitude  of  the  Business  World  towards  Tobacco   131 

Social  Aspects  of  the  Tobacco  Habit 14b' 

The  Cost  of  Tobacco 15: 

Tobacco  Especially  11  armful  to  Boys 171 

Acquiring  the  Habit 180 

Influence  of  Smoking  Clergymen 191 

Cigarettes.    Ambition   and    Reliability 200 

Tobacco  and  Scholarship  in  the  Grades 211 

Tobacco   and   Juvenile    Delinquency 220 

Combatting  the  Tobacco    Evil 232' 

Women  as  Affected  by  the  Tobacco  Habit 255 

Tobacco  and   Spirituality 268 

Margins  of  Sucess  and  Failure 276 

The    Master    .Man 287 

Tobacco  and  (  )ur  Soldiers 298 

Attitude  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints  toward  the  Use  of  Tobacco 311 


Tobacco  and  Human  Efficiency. 


i 

COMPOSITION  OF  TOBACCO  AND  TOBACCO  SMOKE 

Composition  of  Tobacco. — It  will  be  recalled  that 
the  culture  of  tobacco  is  possible  throughout  a  wider 
variation  of  climate  than  that  of  almost  any  other  com- 
mercial plant,  and  that  the  soil  upon  which  it  can  be 
grown  ranges  from  the  heavy  clays  through  various 
loams  to  light  sands.  It  will  also  be  borne  in  mind  that 
profitable  tobacco  culture  requires  very  careful  and  in- 
telligent fertilization,  and  that  finally,  after  the  plant  is 
properly  matured,  the  process  of  curing  regulates  to  a 
very  marked  extent  the  quality  of  the  finished  articles. 

All  these  factors  and  others  contribute  to  the  com- 
plexity of  tobacco  composition,  which  not  only  differs 
in  various  grades,  but  also  in  various  parts  of  the  same 
leaf.  Ash,  of  course,  forms  one  of  the  prncipal  con- 
stituents of  all  tobaccos.  Fourteen  samples,  including 
both  superior  and  common  grades,  analyzed  by  E. 
Qua j at,  showed  the  ash  to  range  from  31.03  per  cent 
in  Bassano  sample  to  17.11  per  cent  in  Virginian,  and 
U>.78  per  cent  in  Turkish.  Quajat  considers  that  the 
quality  of  tobacco  varies  inversely  with  the  quantity  of 
ash  present,  but  other  investigators  recognize  no  such 
relation. 


2  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

Tobacco  contains  a  very  large  number  of  chemical 
salts,  consisting  principally  of  sulphates,  nitrates,  chlor- 
ides, phosphates,  and  maltates  of  potassium,  calcium 
and  ammonium.  Other  constituents  of  tobacco  are 
albumen,  resin,  gum,  sugar,  tannin,  extractive,  citric 
acid,  nicotianin.  and  nicotine. 

The  rate  with  which  tobacco  burns  is  influenced  to 
a  marked  extent  by  its  composition,  especially  the  potasr 
sium  and  calcium  content  and  the  particular  form  in 
which  these  materials  occur.  The  chemical  substance 
known  as  maltate  of  potassium  is  thought  to  favor 
burning  or  smoking,  and  when  this  is  imperfect  it  may 
be  improved  by  artificially  adding  a  soluble  salt  of 
potassium  acetate,  or  other  organic  salt  of  this  metal. 

The  aroma  and  flavor  of  tobacco  are  attributed  to  a 
peculiar  substance  closely  related  to  nicotine  called 
Nicotianin  or  Tobacco-camphor.  The  peculiar  flavor 
of  "Perique"  tobacco  is  due  to  butyric  acid  developed 
during  the  process  of  curing. 

While  the  quality  of  tobacco  seems  to  be  intimately 
connected  with  the  nicotine  content,  yet  it  does, not 
invariably  follow  that  tobacco  carrying  a  high  per- 
centage of  this  alkaloid  is  necessarily  of  good  grade. 
Nicotine  is  thought  to  hold  about  the  same  relationship 
to  tobacco  that  alcohol  holds  to  spirituous  liquors,  and 
just  as  the  latter  would  lose  their  attraction  if  alcohol 
were  absent,  so  would  tobacco  become  undesirable  if 
nicotine  were  eliminated.  A  large  number  of  processes 
have  been  devised  for  the  extraction  of  nicotine  from 
tobacco,  but  none  of  them  has  become  popular.  To- 
bacco without  nicotine  is  not  tobacco. 

.Nicotine  is  present  in  tobacco  in  quantities  ranging 


COMPOSITION   OF   TOBACCO  3 

from  one  to  more  than  ten  per  cent;  it  averages  very 
close  to  three  per  cent.  It  is  thought  to  be  derived 
from  protein  matter,  the  nitrogen  of  which  is  ab- 
sorbed from  the  soil.  Therefore,  fertilizers  carrying- 
large  quantities  of  nitrogen  should  be  used  sparingly 
when  low-nicotine  tobaccos  are  desired.  It  has  also 
been  observed  that  a  hot  moist  climate,  in  addition  to  a 
rich  soil,  favors  an  increase  in  the  production  of  nico- 
tine. The  percentage  of  this  alkaloid  present  is  also 
modified  by  the  kind  of  curing  process  employed. 

The  Chemistry  of  Tobacco  Smoke. — The  chem- 
istry, or  composition,  of  tobacco  smoke  is  by  no  means 
identical  with  that  of  the  unburned  material.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  presence  of  practically  all  of  the  original 
constituents,  tobacco  smoke  contains  several  substances 
generated  during  combustion.  Defenders  of  the  use 
of  tobacco  have  repeatedly  asserted  that  the  poisonous 
substances  originally  present  are  completely  destroyed 
during  the  process  of  smoking.  This  statement,  how- 
ever, as  we  shall  see  later,  has  no  justification  in  fact. 

Any  process  of  burning  consists  essentially  of  the 
uniting  of  carbon  and  oxygen,  the  carbon  coming  from 
the  substance  being  burned  and  the  oxygen  from  the 
air.  Complete  combustion  requires  these  elements  to 
unite  in  the  proportion  of  one  atom  of  the  former  to 
two  atoms  of  the  latter.  In  order  that  this  may  be 
accomplished  an  abundance  of  oxygen  in  the  form  of 
fresh  air  must  be  available,  otherwise  the  combustion 
will  be  incomplete  and  smoke  will  result.  Smoke  con- 
sists of  the  volatile  products  thus  formed  charged  with 
unburned  particles  of  carbon  or  soot.  The  color  of 
smoke,  say  that  issuing  from  a  factory  stack,  or  for 


4  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

that  matter  from  a  human  stack,  is  indicative  of  the 
degree  of  combustion,  complete  burning  giving  rise  to 
colorless  products  and  incomplete  burning  to  colored 
products. 

The  process  of  smoking  as  ordinarily  practiced  con- 
sists essentially  of  slow-burning  or  smoldering  of  to- 
bacco, accompanied  by  inhalation  and  exhalation  of 
the  gaseous  products.  No  form  of  tobacco  smoking 
permits  of  other  than  partial  combustion.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  ready  and  complete  burning,  as  ordinarily  ac- 
companied by  flame,  would  wholly  destroy  the  object  of 
smoking.  Cigars,  cigarettes  and  pipes  are  so  designed 
that  the  tobacco  used  will  burn  slowly  and  produce  a 
maximum  amount  of  smoke. 

The  gas_  derived  from  complete  burning  of  pure  car- 
bon consists  exclusively  of  carbon  and  oxygen  in  the 
form  of  carbon  dioxide  otherwise  known  as  carbonic 
acid  gas.  Incomplete  burning  gives  rise  to  variable 
quantites  of  carbon  monoxide,  a  gas  consisting  of  car- 
bon and  oxygen  in  the  ratio  of  one  to  one.  Tobacco 
when  subjected  to  partial  burning,  as  in  the  case  of 
smoking,  necessarily  gives  rise  to  a  very  highly  com- 
plicated group  of  gaseous  products,  accompanied,  of 
course,  by  variable  quantities  of  solid  material. 

Among  the  principal  substances  found  by  chemical 
analysis  of  tobacco  smoke  are  the  following  :  Nicotine, 
pyridic  bases,  formic  aldehyde,  ammonia,  methylamin, 
sulphuretted  hydrogen,  prussic  acid,  butyric  acid,  car- 
bon dioxide,  carbon  monoxide,  water  vapor,  an  ether 
ized  empyreumatic  oil,  and  tarry  or  resinous  substance^. 

The  composition  of  tobacco  smoke  varies  greatly  and 
depends  largely   upon   the  nature  of  the  tobacco,   the 


COMPOSITK  )X    <  >F   TOBACCO  5 

degree  of  consumption  and  the  manner  of  smoking. 
Just  as  the  composition  of  smoke  from  a  chimney  is  in- 
fluenced by  the  nature  of  the  fuel  and  the  various  de- 
vices employed  in  its  combustion,  so  is  that  of  tobacco 
smoke  coming  from  the  cigar,  pipe  or  cigarette.  It  can 
hardly  be  expected  that  the  loose  open  nature  of  the 
cigarette  will  permit  of  the  production  of  gases  iden- 
tical with  those  generated  in  the  poorly  ventilated  pipe. 
Nor  will  the  composition  of  the  smoke  arising  from  a 
partially  consumed  cigar  or  cigarette  he  the  same  as 
when  completely  burned.  These  factors  with  many 
others  combine  to  make  the  composition  of  tobacco 
smoke  far  from  simple. 

Nicotine,  generally  regarded  as  the  most  active  prin- 
ciple in  tobacco,  is  partially  destroyed  during  the  pro- 
cess of  combustion.  The  percentage  thus  destroyed 
depends  largely  upon  the  completeness  and  manner  of 
smoking.  Nicotine  is  very  easily  volatilized.  In  other 
words,  it  passes  readily  into  a  vaporized  condition  upon 
being  heated.  The  volatile  nature  of  nicotine  causes  it 
to  travel  toward  the  smoker's  mouth  a  short  distance 
ahead  of  the  burning  end  of  the  cigar  or  cigarette,  and, 
therefore,  to  accumulate  in  the  unburned  portion.  It 
is  important  to  note  that  a  large  part  of  the  nicotine  re- 
mains in  the  cigar  or  cigarette  until  the  last  half  or  two- 
fifths  is  being  smoked,  a  condition  which  makes  a 
smoker  reluctant  to  part  with  the  "stub."  Cigarette 
smokers  are  particularly  fond  of  the  last  "draw".  Cigar 
stumps  commonly  become  too  strong  for  most  smokers. 
^  Physicians  who  permit  patients  to  use  tobacco  at  all 
wisely  prescribe  that  at  least  the  last  third  of  the  cigar 
be  thrown  away.      It  should  plainly  be  apparent,  there- 


6  TOBACCO   AND   HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

fore,  that  the  quantity  of  nicotine  present  in  tobacco 
smoke  depends  to  a  rather  large  extent  upon  the  degree 
of  combustion. 

Nicotine  is  much  more  readily  destroyed  by  complete 
than  by  partial  burning.  Chemical  analyses  show  that 
cigarette  smoke  contains  the  least  amount  of  nicotine 
and  pipe  the  most,  a  condition  which  is  readily  account- 
ed for  by  the  loose  open  nature  of  the  cigarette  and  the 
consequent  ease  with  which  it  burns.  The  pipe,  on  the 
other  hand,  acts  as  a  kind  of  retort  which  permits  the 
tobacco  to  burn  only  from  the  surface,  while  the  hot 
gases  thus  formed  readily  carry  the  nicotine  over  into 
the  smoke.  In  a  word  then,  there  is  much  more  nico- 
tine destroyed  in  the  cigarette  than  in  the  pipe.  The 
cigar  occupies  middle  ground.  The  London  Lancet 
recently  printed  the  results  of  an  elaborate  series  of 
smoke  analyses,  showing  that  about  one-fifth  of  the 
nicotine  present  in  tobacco  passes  over  unchanged  into 
the  smoke  of  cigarettes  and  that  from  three  to  four 
fifths  passes  over  into  the  smoke  of  pipes.  This  means 
that  from  twenty  to  sixty  or  eighty  per  cent  of  the 
nicotine  originally  present  in  tobacco  is  actually  taken 
into  the  user's  mouth  and  lungs.  Not  all  of  this  is 
absorbed  into  the  smoker's  system,  otherwise  he  would 
be  fatally  poisoned  almost  immediately. 

Tobacco  users  not  infrequently  try  to  justify  (heir 
practice  by  resorting  to  the  somewhat  popular  opinion 
that  nicotine  is  completely  destroyed  in  smoking,  and 
therefore  that  it  docs  not  enter  the  system  as  such.  The 
following  statement  of  so  eminent  authority  as  Pro- 
fessor Cushny  of  the  University  of  London  should 
<  nffice  ti  <  repudiate  this-  claim  : 


COMPOSITION    OF   TOBACCO  7 

"It  has  been  stated,  and  the  statement  has  received 
an  undeservedly  wide  circulation,  that  tobacco  smoke 
contains  no  nicotine,  but  merely  products  of  its  decom- 
position ;  but  as  a  matter  of  fact,  tobacco  smoke  whether 
from  cigar  or  pipe  contains  large  quantities  of  the 
alkaloid  (nicotine)  along  with  pyridine  and  many  of 
its  compounds." 

Practical  impressions  everywhere  are  that  cigarette 
smoking  is  by  far  the  most  dangerous.  This  fact  in 
connection  with  the  foregoing  data  has  led  some  to 
believe  that  nicotine  is  probably  not  the  most  active 
principle  in  certain  forms  of  tobacco  smoke.  Bad  as 
nicotine  may  be.  it  is  now  believed  by  some  scientists 
that  there  is  probably  something  worse.  Aldehydes, 
derived  from  partial  combustion  of  various  carbohy- 
drates, are  known  to  be  present  in  the  smoke  of  most 
cigarettes.  The  poisonous  effects  of  crude,  immature 
whisky  are  accredited  to  the  destructive  action  of  alde- 
hydes. Furfural,  the  principal  a1dp.hy.de.  found  i n c igar- 
ette  smoke,  is  now  regarded  as  fifty  times  as  poisonous 
as  ordinary  alcohol.  The  London  Lancet  states  that 
"the  furfural  contained  in  the  smoke  of  one  Virginian 
cigarette  may  amount,  according  to  our  experiments,  to 
as  much  as  is  present  in  a  couple  of  ounces  of  whisky". 
Furfural  is  present  in  largest  quantities  in  American 
cigarettes  and  nearly  absent  in  certain  Turkish  and 
Egyptian  types.  The  latter,  however,  may  fully  make 
up  for  this  deficiency  by  the  presence  of  larger  per- 
centages of  nicotine.  The  carbon  monoxide  content  of 
tobacco  smoke  is  derived  through  incomplete  combus- 
tion of  the  organic  material  present. 

Cigarette  wrappers  are  advertised  by  most  manufac- 


8  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

Hirers  as  being  absolutely  tree  from  deleterious  drugs, 
and  otherwise  as  pure  as  paper  can  be  made — "the  acme 
of  the  paper  art."  There  appears  to  have  been  a  time 
in  the  manufacture  of  cigarette  paper  when  it  was 
treated  with  various  drugs,  primarily  for  the  purpose 
of  causing  what  is  popularly  termed  a  "a  uneback".  At 
present  the  practice  seems  to  have  been  quite 
generally  abandoned.  It  is  of  great  importance,  how- 
ever, to  keep  in  mind  that  highly  poisonous  substances 
may  be  derived  from  the  combustion  of  materials  other- 
wise quite  harmless.  The  following  statement  of 
Thomas  A.  Edison  concerning  one  of  the  noxious  com- 
ponents of  cigarette  smoke  is  at  this  point  particularly 
noteworthy:  "The  injurious  agent  in  cigarette  smoke 
comes  principally  from  the  burning  wrapper.  The 
Mil  (stance  thereby  formed  is  called  'Acrolein'.  It  has 
a  violent  action  upon  the  nerve  centers,  producing  de- 
generation of  the  cells  of  the  brain,  which  is  quite  rapid 
among  boys.  Unlike  most  narcotics  this  degeneration 
is  permanent  and  uncontrollable." 

A  list  comprising  the  more  poisonous  substances  now 
known  to  be  present  in  tobacco  smoke  should  include 
the  following:  Nicotine,  furfural,  acrolein,  prussic  acid, 
hydrogen  sulphide,  carbon  monoxide,  ammonia,  cm- 
pyreumatic  oils,  and  probably  others.  The  number  will 
undoubtedly  become  larger  as  our  knowledge  of  the 
chemistry  and  pharmacology  of  tobacco  smoke  in- 
creases. 


II 

POISONOUS  FACTORS  OF  TOBACCO 

Almost  immediately  after  the  introduction  of  tobacco 
into  Europe  its  baneful  effects  became  manifest. 
King-  James  of  England  in  his  famous  "Counterblast  to 
Tobacco",  issued  early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  de- 
scribed its  injurious  effects  with  almost  as  much  plain- 
ness as  can  be  done  at  the  present  time.  The  precise 
nature,  however,  of  its  injurious  components  does  not 
seem  to  have  been  known  until  a  much  later  date 
(  1828),  when  nicotine  was  discovered  by  Passelt  and 
Reimann.  For  many  years  thereafter  this  drug  was 
regarded  as  chiefly  if  not  wholly  responsible  for  the 
had  effects  of  tobacco.  Within  the  last  few  years, 
however,  science  has  shown  that  tobacco  smoke  contains 
practically  half  a  score  of  drugs  any  one  of  which  is 
highly  destructive  of  human  health. 

Nicotine. — The  recent  discovery  of  other  toxic  fac- 
tors has  in  no  way  relieved  nicotine  of  its  odium.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  in  some  respects  it  is  now  looked  upon 
with  more  apprehension  than  ever  before.  Onlv  a 
short  time  ago  the  administration  of  nicotine,  in  the 
form  of  tobacco  preparations,  was  permissible  under 
the  regulations  of  both  European  and  American  phar- 
macoepias,  a  practice  which  at  the  present  time  is  re- 
garded as  exceedingly  dangerous.  It  is  now  definitely 
known  that  from  twenty  to  eighty  per  cent  of  the  nico- 


in  TOBACCO   AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

tine  present  in  tobacco  passes  over  into  the  smoke  un- 
destroyed.  Just  how  much  of  this  is  absorbed  into  the 
smoker's  system  cannot  definitely  be  stated,  of  course 
not  all  of  it,  otherwise  thousands  of  smokers  would  be 
killed  daily.  That  which  is  not  absorbed  by  the  sm<  >ker 
passes  out  into  the  atmosphere  to  be  assimilated  or  to 
be  breathed  by  other  individuals  close  at  hand. 

At  one  time  both  an  ointment  and  a  wine  of  tobacco 
were  officially  recognized  by  the  National  Standard 
Dispensatory,  but  as  the  poisonous  nature  of  tobacco 
gradually  became  known,  they  were  both  abandoned, 
so  that  at  the  present  time  tobacco  is  rarely  employed  in 
medicine,  except  in  domestic  practice,  where  it  is  still 
regarded  by  some  as  possessing  peculiar  curative  prop- 
erties. The  National  Standard  Dispensatory  looks 
upon  the  practice  of  giving  tobacco  as  a  emetic  as  en- 
tirely unsafe. 

Nicotine  seems  to  be  limited  in  its  natural  occurrence 
almost  exclusively  to  the  tobacco  plant.  It  does  not 
occur  in  the  young  plant,  and  in  mature  ones  it  seems 
to  be  restricted  to  the  epidermal  tissue  of  the  leaves, 
more  particularly  at  the  base  of  the  hairs,  to  the  ex- 
ternal tissue  of  the  roots,  and  to  the  stamens  and  pistils. 

Pure  nicotine  is  a  highly  poisonous,  colorless,  oily 
fluid,  which  boils  near  482°  F.  but  distills  at  lower  tem- 
peratures. When  heated  it  has  a  pungent,  acrid,  to- 
bacco-like odor,  a  burning  taste,  and  a  strongly  alkaline 
reaction.  Upon  being  exposed  to  the  air  it  acquires  a 
brown  color,  and  after  some  time  is  converted  into  a 
resinous  mass. 

Nicotine  has  but  little  poisonous  action  upon  the 
lower    invertebrates,   but   amnns'  the   higher   animals. 


POISONOUS  FACTORS  OF  TOBACCO  11 

where  the  nervous  system  is  better  developed,  its  action 
becomes  more  and  more  pronounced.  It  seems  to  strike 
chiefly  at  the  central  nervous  system.  When  poisonous, 
but  not  necessarily  fatal,  doses  are  administered  to  man 
or  other  mammal  the  following  symptoms  ordinarily 
appear : 

Circulation. — After  moderate  quantities  are  ad- 
ministered, the  heart  becomes  slow  and  may  remain 
practically  still  for  a  few  seconds.  It  then  gradually  re- 
covers its  former  rhythm,  and  commonly  becomes 
quicker  than  usual.  As  the  effects  wear  off  the  pulse 
slowly  returns  to  normal  or  below.  The  injection 
of  nicotine  into  a  vein  also  causes  a  very  sudden  rise  of 
blood  pressure,  which,  after  a  few  seconds  ordinarily 
falls  below  normal,  a  condition  due  to  the  weakening 
action  of  the  heart. 

Respiration. — "The  respiration  is  at  first  rapid  and 
shallow  with  some  deficiency  in  the  expiratory  move- 
ments,but  after  a  time,  while  maintaining  the  accelera- 
tion, it  becomes  deeper.  It  is  liable  to  be  interrupted 
at  this  stage  by  the  convulsions,  but  if  they  do  not 
prove  fatal,  it  gradually  becomes  slower  while  remain- 
ing asleep."     (Cushny.) 

Secretions. — The  secretion  of  saliva  is  at  first  in- 
creased but  is  later  depressed,  while  large  doses  dimin- 
ish it  at  once.  "The  reflex  secretion  of  saliva  normally 
produced  by  irritation  of  the  mouth  or  bv  chewing  is 
prevented  by  nicotine."      (Cushny.) 

Nausea  and  vomiting  together  with  evacuation  of 
the  bowels  commonly  follow  as  the  contractive  effect 
of  nicotine  upon  the  entire  intestinal  tract. 

The  Bladder  is  also  thrown  into  a  state  of  contrac- 


12  TOBACCO    AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

Hon,  giving  rise  to  frequent  passing  of  urine.  In  preg- 
nant animals  the  uterus  is  also  strongly  contracted  fre- 
quently resulting  in  abortion. 

The  Pupil  of  the  Eye  in  various  animals  is  affected 
differently,  in  some  contracted  and  in  others  dilated. 
Acute  doses  commonly  produce  in  man  first  contraction 
followed  by  dilatii  >n. 

The  Central  nervous  system  is  attacked  by  nicotine  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  bring  on  convulsions,  which  seem 
to  be  due  to  an  exaggerated  irritability  of  not  only  the 
spinal  cord,  fan  of  the  medulla  oblongata  or  hind 
brain. 

The  excretion  of  nicotine  is  performed  almost  wholly 
by  the  kidneys.  It  may  be  detected  in  the  urine  very 
soon  after  being  taken  into  the  system. 

It  can  hardly  be  said  that  the  poisonous  effects  of 
smoking  always  bear  a  direct  relationship  to  the  amount 
of  nicotine  present  in  the  original  tobacco,  for,  as  has 
already  been  shown,  variable  percentages  of  it  are  de- 
stn  iyed  during  combustion,  and  then  again,  other  harm- 
ful substances  are  nol  present  in  constant  quantities. 
Judging  the  entire  tobacco  habit  from  the  standpoint  n\ 
the  nicotine  con! cut,  chewing  is  the  worst,  followed  in 
turn  by  the  cigar  and  the  cigarette.  It  is  obvious  that 
the  chewing  habit  brings  all  of  the  nicotine  present  di- 
rectly into  contact  with  the  mucous  membranes  of  the 
mouth  and  throat.  In  the  pipe,  from  twenty  to  forty 
per  cent  of  the  nicotine  i^  destroyed,  and.  therefore, 
only  about  three  fifths  of  the  original  content  is  inhaled 
by  the  smoker,  while  with  the  cigarette  scarcely  more 
than  one  fourth  of  the  original  nicotine  enters  the  user's 
svstem. 


POISONOUS  FACTORS  OF  TOBACCO 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  probably  be  argued  that 
the  cigarette  is  the  least  harmful  form  in  which  tobacco 

is  used.  The  fact  must  not  be  lost  sight  of,  however, 
that  nicotine  is  not  the  only  harmful  component  of  to- 
bacco smoke,  and,  further,  that  the  cigarette  contain-. 
substances  probably  not  present  in  other  forms.  Then 
again  cigarettes  encourage  the  practice  of  inhaling. 

The  part,  therefore,  which  nicotine  performs  in  to- 
bacco poisoning  seems  to  vary  greatly  with  the  form 
in  which  tobacco  is  used.  In  some  forms  nicotine  is 
without  doubt  the  principal  toxic  agent,  while  in  others  \ 
it  likely  occupies  a  subordinate  position.  In  no  form 
of  tobacco  usage  do  the  evil  effects  of  this  drug  entirely 
disappear.  Even  in  the  case  of  cigarettes,  where  pos- 
sibly not  more  than  one-fourth  of  the  .original  nicotine 
actaully  enters  the  user's  system,  the  quantity  is  easily 
large  enough  to  cause  disastrous  results.  The  fact 
should  not  be  overlooked  that  nicotine  is  a  very  intense 
poison,  which  may  prove  fatal  to  man  even  in  exceed- 
ingly small  quantities.  The  National  Standard  Dis- 
pensatory places  the  dose  of  nicotine  at  from  one-six- 
tieth to  one  sixth  of  a  grain. 

Carbon  Monoxide,  or  oxide  of  carbon,  is  a  colorless 
gas  formed  during  combustion  when  the  supply  of  air  is 
greatly  restricted.  In  an  ordinary  hearth  fire  it  may  be 
seen  changing  over  to  carbon  dioxide  as  indicated  by 
the  blueish  color  of  the  flame.  Its  poisonous  properties 
are  highly  pronounced,  a  condition  which  depends  prin- 
cipally upon  the  fact  that  this  gas  can  combine  to  form 
a  very  stable  compound  with  the  haemoglobin  of  the 
blond,  the  coloring  matter  of  the  red  corpuscles. 
Haemoglobin  performs  the  highly  important  function 


14  TOBACCO   AND    1 1  I'M  AX    EFFICIENCY 

of  carrying  oxygen  from  the  blood  out  into  various 
parts  of  the  body  where  it  is  utilized  for  the  creation 
of  muscular  activity.  When,  however,  haemoglobin 
unites  with  carbon  monoxide  it  loses  its  ability  to  take 
up  oxygen,  and  the  same  conditions  follow  as  when  the 
individual  smothers.  Very  small  quantities  of  this  gas 
present  in  the  air  of  an  ordinary  room  are  sufficient  to 
produce  giddiness  and  headache  followed  by  uncon- 
sciousness. 

The  carbon  monoxide  content  of  tobacco  smoke  is 
derived  through  incomplete  combustion.  The  presence 
of  this  poisonous  substance  may  be  shown  by  blowing 
a  mouthful  of  smoke  upon  a  dilute  solution  of  fresh 
blood,  which  at  once  assumes  a  pinkish  color,  charac- 
teristic of  the  compound  formed  when  carbon  monoxide 
reacts  with  the  haemoglobin  of  the  blood.  The  Scien- 
tific American  states  that  "one  ounce  of  tobacco  smoked 
in  the  form  of  cigarettes  gives  as  much  as  from  one 
pint  to  four  pints  of  carbon  monoxide  gas,  while  the 
same  amount  of  tobacco  smoked  in  a  pipe  gives  from 
two  and  one-half  to  five  pints  of  the  gas".  Here  again 
it  may  appear  that  the  pipe  is  more  pernicious  than  the 
cigarette,  and  again  it  should  be  remembered  that  with 
the  cigarette  only  is  inhaling  generally  indulged  in,  and 
also  that  the  cigarette  contains  other  poisonous  drugs. 

The  symptoms  of  carbon  monoxide  poisoning  resem- 
ble in  a  very  remarkable  manner  those  of  tobacco-smoke 
poisoning;  in  both  cases  the  individual  develops  a  ten- 
dency toward  dizziness,  pronounced  shortness  of  breath 
and  heart  disturbance. 

No  less  an  authority  than  the  Scientific  American 
publishes  the  following  emphatic  statement  relative  to 


POISONOUS    FACTORS    OF   TOBACCO  15 

the  poisonous  effects  of  carbon  monoxide:  "When  we 
consider  the  large  amount  of  carbon  monoxide  present 
in  tobacco  smoke,  and  compare  with  this  fact  that  as 
lttle  as  .17  per  cent  of  this  gas  present  in  the  room  is 
fatal  to  animals,  though  usually  .4  per  cent  is  required, 
and  that  anything  above  .15  per  cent  is  regarded  us 
distinctly  dangerous,  it  is  obviously  within  the  bounds 
of  probability  that  tobacco  smoke  can  be  harmful  on 
account  merely  of  this  gaseous  constituent." 

While  it  should  hardly  be  expected  that  smoking 
even  in  a  closed  room  will  bring  the  percentage  of  car- 
bon monoxide  up  to  the  fatal  point,  yet  it  will  be  re- 
membered that  the  smoker  through  the  practice  of  in- 
haling is  constantly  introducing  into  his  respiratory  sys- 
tem a  much  more  highly  concentrated  mixture.  A 
considerable  percentage  of  the  gas  thus  inhaled  is  ab- 
sorbed directly  into  the  circulatory  system  where  it 
unites  with  the  haemoglobin  of  the  blood,  and,  in  pro- 
portion to  the  amount  absorbed,  destroys  the  function 
of  this  indispensable  carrying  agent.  Even  non-smokers 
are  seriously  affected  by  the  air  in  a  room  impregnated 
with  carbon  monoxide  from  tobacco  smoke.  Anyone 
may  recall  the  headache  and  drowsy,  stupid  feelings 
•after  being  shut  up  in  a  "smoker"  on  a  railway  train,  or 
in  the  badly  ventilated  air  of  a  smoking  concert-room. 

The  amount  of  carbon  monoxide  present  in  tobacco 
smoke  is  largely  independent  of  the  composition  of  the 
material  before  burning,  the  quantity  present  depending 
largely  upon  the  degree  of  combustion,  or  rather  lack 
of  combustion.  Carbon  monoxide  may  arise  almost  as 
readily  from  the  smoking  of  cedar  bark,  paper,  or  rye- 
straw  as  from  tobacco,  a  fact  which  emphasizes  the 


16  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

point  that  any  kind  of  smoking,  no  matter  what  mate- 
rial may  be  used,  is  dangerous  to  the  human  system. 
Thus  in  any  form  of  smoking,  the  user  carries  in  his 
mouth  a  little  furnace,  the  smoldering  ashes  of  which 
are  constantly  generating  this  obnoxious  gas.  The 
incessant  action  of  these  irritating  fumes,  even  though 
present  in  smaller  than  fatal  doses,  greatly  impairs  the 
function  of  the  blood  in  its  life-giving  distribution  of 
oxygen  to  various  parts  of  the  body,  resulting  in  a  gen- 
erally vitiated  and  poorly  efficient  system. 

Pkl'ssic  ok  hydrocyanic  acid,  on  account  of  its 
volatile  and  poisonous  nature,  is  seldom  seen  outside 
chemical  laboratories.  When  breathed,  even  in  very 
small  quantities,  it  may  prove  fatal  almost  immediately. 
Even  though  the  size  of  the  fatal  dose  is  somewhat 
larger  than  that  of  some  of  the  alkaloids,  notably  nico- 
tine, yet  it  acts  more  quickly,  and  in  consequence  has 
come  to  be  known  as  the  most  dangerous  of  poisons. 

Professor  K.  B.  Lehman  of  Wurzburg  has  recently 
shown  that  the  amount  of  this  substance  present  in  to- 
bacco smoke  depends  to  a  large  extent  upon  the  rate 
of  smoking.  A  slow  current  of  air  passing  through  a 
cigar  produces  a  much  smaller  amount  of  prussic  acid 
than  does  a  rapid  current.  Professor  Lehman  has 
further  shown  that  the  presence  of  this  drug  in  tobacco 
smoke  ranges  close  to  .025  per  cent,  and  that  the 
amount  absorbed  into  the  system  after  smoking  several 
cigars  reaches  four  or  five  milligrams. 

It  has  been  argued  by  some  that  inasmuch  as  the 
human  system  may  ingest  as  much  as  eight  milligrams 
of  prussic  acid  without  any  noticeable  response,  that 
this  poison  may  be  dismissed  from  the  cateerorv  <>f  toxic 


J'UISUNOUS    FACTORS    Ul<    TOBACCO  \17 

factors  in  tobacco  smoke.  The  unscientific  nature  of 
this  argument  has  been  pointed  out  elsewhere.  It  does 
not  take  into  consideration  nature's  marvelous  "factor 
of  safety",  and  really  argues  that  the  human  system  is 
not  injured  unless  it  immediately  manifests  the  injury 
in  measureable  terms.  It  is  now  definitely  known  that 
the  kidneys,  the  heart,  the  respiratory  system  and  in 
fact  every  organ  of  the  body  may  be  worked  consid- 
erably beyond  normal  without  immediately  manifesting 
the  results  of  overwork.  The  human  body  may  be 
greatly  abused  and  still  do  its  work  marvelously  well, 
but  even  slight  injuries  imposed  over  long  periods  of 
time  finally  make  pronounced  inroads  into  the  general 
health.  The  amount  of  prussic  acid  in  ordinary  to- 
bacco smoke  does  not  seem  to  be  sufficient  to  bring  on 
paroxysms  of  ill  health,  yet  its  action,  extending  over 
rnonths  and  years,  should  not  be  overlooked  in  listing 
the  factors  of  tobacco-smoke  poisoning. 

Acrolein  or  acraldehyde  is  a  colorless  volatile 
liquid,  somewhat  lighter  than  water,  formed  during  the 
partial  combustion  of  substances  containing  fats  or 
glycerine.  It  has  an  intensely  irritating  action  upon 
the  eyes  and  nose.  In  contact  with  the  skin  it  produces 
bad  sores.  The  vapot  causes  a  very  copious  flow  of 
tears,  and  when  a  few  drops  of  the  liquid  are  vaporized 
in  a  room  the  atmosphere  becomes  wholly  insupportable 
to  human  life. 

The  great  chemist  Schorlemmer  issues  the  following 
indictment  against  this  poisonous  drug:  "The  vapor 
attacks  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  nose  and  eves  in 
a  frightful  manner.  Redtenbocker  remarks :  Tn  a 
very  highly  diluted  condition  the  smell  is  not  altogether 


18  TOBACCO   AND    111' MAN    EFFICIENCY 


unpleasant,  being  somewhat  etherial,  but  a  few  drops  of 
acrolein  brought  into  a  room  soon  bring  the  company 
to  tears.  It  chiefly  acts  upon  the  eyes,  the  vapor  pro- 
ducing a  burning  sensation  and  a  copious  flow  of  tears. 
The  eyes  remain  red,  without,  however,  other  evil  con- 
sequences, but  on  repeated  exposure  to  the  action  of 
acrolein,  inflammation  sets  in,  and  this  may  last  for 
many  days.'  When  exposed  for  some  length  of  time 
to  an  atmosphere  containing  small  quantities  of  the 
vapor  of  this  body  a  peculiar  feeling  is  experienced 
similar  to  that  which  is  felt  after  indulgence  in  mod- 
erate quantities  of  alcohol." 

Thomas  A.  Edison,  the  famous  inventor,  has  recently 
taken  a  very  decided  stand  against  the  use  of  cigarettes 
chiefly,  it  seems,  because  of  the  acrolein  which  is  formed 
during  their  combustion. 

FUJIFUKAL   OK    FURFURALDETIYDE  IS  a  Colorless,   Oily, 

volatile  liquid  of  aromatic  odor  resembling  both  that 
of  bitter  almond  and  oil  of  cinnamon.  It  is  produced 
during  the  partial  combustion  and  distillation  of  bran, 
sugar  and  wood  as  well  as  most  other  carbohydrates. 
Recent  analyses  in  the  Lancet  laboratories  have  re- 
vealed the  presence  in  tobacco  smoke  of  certain  alde- 
hydes, particularly  the  aldehyde  furfural.  The  results 
show  that  the  percentages  of  furfural  in  cigarette  smoke 
run  much  higher  than  that  in  either  the  pipe  or  the 
cigar,  as  a  matter  of  fact  it  seems  to  be  practically  ab- 
sent from  cigar  smoke.  Furthermore,  certain  forms  of 
Egyptian  and  Turkish  cigarettes  produced  much 
smaller  quantities  of  this  poison  than  American  cigar- 
ettes. The  Lancet  reports  that  all  cigarettes  yielding 
the  most  pungent   and    irritating    fumes    "invariably 


POISONOUS    FACTORS    <>l;    TOBACCO  19 

showed  the  largest  proportion  of  furfural,  and  these 
were  also,  generally  speaking,  the  cheapest  in  the  series 
examined".  It  would  seem,  therefore,  from  the  find- 
ings of  this  eminent  authority,  that  cheap  American 
cigarettes  are  particularly  to  be  avoided. 

Furfural  is  a  very  pungent  substance  and  exerts  a 
powerful  irritating  action  upon  all  mucous  membranes. 
Sir  Lauder  Brunton,  the  well-known  European  scien- 
tist, places  the  toxicity_oJLfurfural  as  fifty  times  as  great 
as  that  of  alcohol,  and  is  further  quoted  as  saying  that 
small  doses  cause  "symptoms  of  transcient  irritation, 
such  as  ataxia,  tremors  and  twitching",  while  in  ade- 
quate quantities  this  drug  "gives  rise  to  epileptiform 
convulsions,  general  muscular  paralysis,  ending  in 
paralysis  of  the  respiratory  system".  It  is  perhaps  a 
significant  fact  that  throat  troubles,  so  commonly  asso- 
ciated with  cigarette  smoking,  are  not  nearly  so  pro- 
nounced in  the  case  of  cigar  and  pipe  smokers. 

The  Lancet  investigations  seem  to  indicate  that  the 
most  harmful  forms  of  tobacco-smoking  are  intimately 
connected  with  large  quantities  of  furfural,  and  not  nec- 
essarily with  excessive  nicotine.  It  would  be  prema- 
ture at  this  time,  however,  to  assert  that  this  poison  is 
accountable  for  all  or  even  the  major  evil  effects  of 
cigarette  smoking.  After  comparing  the  probable  tox- 
icity of  nicotine  and  furfural  the  Lancet  conservatively 
states  its  attitude  thus:  "Furfural  is  an  undesirable 
constituent  of  tobacco  smoke,  and  there  is  a  probability 
that  the  least  harmful  tobacco  will  turn  out  to  be  that 
which  yields  a  minimum  of,  or  no  furfural  at  all,  or  any 
other  aldehyde  in  the  smoke  of  its  partial  combustion." 

Hydrogen  Sulphide  and  Ammonia. — A  list  of  the 


20  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

more  important  toxic  factors  of  tobacco  smoke  will  in 
all  probability  at  some  future  time  include  a  consid- 
erable number  not  mentioned  above.  It  would  seem 
that  at  present  ammonia  and  hydrogen  sulphide  quite 
properly  deserve  a  place  upon  this  list.  While  the 
effects  of  these  two  products  are  likely  not  so  pro- 
nounced as  others  before  mentioned,  yet  they  certainly 
should  be  taken  into  account  when  considering  the  total 
effects  of  tobacco-smoke  poisoning. 

Hydrogen  sulphide  or  sulphuretted  hydrogen  is  a  gas 
possessing  strongly  irritant  properties.  When  inhaled 
in  concentrated  form  it  almost  instantly  proves  fatal, 
and  in  smaller  quantities  it  may  almost  immediately 
cause  unconsciousness.  Exposure  to  a  very  dilute  at- 
mosphere of  hydrogen  sulphide  is  followed  by  irritation 
of  the  eyes,  nose  and  throat,  sneezing,  dryness  and  sore- 
ness of  the  throat,  dullness,  giddiness  and  loss  of  en- 
ergy. Lehman  believes  that  as  little  as  one  part  of  this 
gas  mixed  with  one  thousand  parts  of  air  is  sufficient 
to  poison  a  man  fatally  within  a  very  short  time.  The 
poisonous  effect  of  hydrogen  sulphide  is  thought  to  be 
due  to  its  local  irritant  action  and  also  its  action  upon 
the  central  nervous  system.  The  gas  is  poisonous  to 
almost  all  forms  of  life ;  even  the  microbes  that  produce 
it  through  certain  types  of  putrifaction  are  eventually 
killed  by  it  unless  it  is  freely  carried  away. 

Ordinary  commercial  "ammonia"  is  a  solution  of 
ammonia  gas  in  water  constituting  what  is  properly 
called  ammonium  hydroxide.  Ammonia  is  easily  vola- 
tile and  separates  readily  from  the  water  solution  as  a 
strongly  irritant  gas.  Its  painful  action  upon  the 
mucous  membranes  of  the  nose  and  throat  probably  has 


POISONOUS    FACTORS    OF   TOBACCO  21 

been  experienced  by  all.  Three  parts  of  ammonia 
mixed  with  ten  thousand  parts  of  air  are  sufficient  to 
cause  sneezing  and  pain  in  the  nose  and  eyes,  while  five 
parts  in  ten  thousand  of  air  form  a  dangerous  mixture 
if  breathed  for  some  time.  The  injurious  effects  of 
this  gas  arise  principally  from  its  local  irritant  action 
and  subsequent  inflammation. 

Naturally  enough  our  interpretation  of  the  toxic 
properties  of  tobacco  smoke  has  necessarily  undergone 
considerable  modification  as  our  knowledge  of  the 
chemistry  and  physiological  action  of  the  constituent 
gases  has  increased.  Long  before  any  of  its  toxic 
factors  had  been  specifically  identified,  tobacco  came  to 
be  regarded  as  a  decided  poison.  Immediately  after 
the  presence  of  nicotine  had  been  discovered  and  its 
poisonous  properties  determined,  this  drug  was  quite 
universally  regarded  as  responsible  for  all  of  the  per- 
nicious effects  of  tobacco;  in  fact  the  terms  "nicotine- 
poisoning"  and  "tobacco-poisoning"  came  to  be  used 
synonymously.  Later  analyses  of  tobacco  smoke  grad- 
ually revealed  the  presence  of  other  dangerous  products, 
including,  carbon  monoxide,  prussic  acid,  ammonia, 
hydrogen  sulphide  and  others.  Still  more  recent  in- 
vestigations have  identified  acrolein  and  furfural.  At 
the  present  time,  therefore,  the  ill  effects  of  tobacco- 
smoking  are  attributed  to  a  large  number  of  poisonous 
agfents,  rather  than  to  one.  as  when  nicotine  was  held 
chiefly  responsible. 

Tn  the  estimation  of  authorities  upon  this  subject, 
nicotine  undoubtedly  still  holds  first  place  among  the 
toxic  factors  of  tobacco  poisoning  in  general.  Nicotine 
seems  to  be  particularly  active  in  the  habit  of  chewing. 


22  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

as  here  all  of  the  drug  is  brought  into  direct  contact 
with  the  mucous  membranes  of  the  mouth  and  throat. 
while  in  the  use  of  cigarettes  it  is  likely  much  less  active 
on  account  of  the  comparatively  small  percentage  pres- 
ent, although  in  estimating  this  matter  one  must  keep 
in  mind  that  inhaling  is  indulged  in  almost  exclusively 
in  the  use  of  cigarettes.  Carbon  monoxide  probably 
does  its  greatest  harm  in  connection  with  the  pipe,  and 
least  with  the  cigarette.  Furfural  and  acrolein  appear 
to  be  particularly  active  in  connection  with  cigarette 
smoking.  The  cigarette  is  quite  universally  regarded 
as  the  most  pernicious  form  in  which  tobacco  is  smoked, 
followed  in  turn  by  the  cigar  and  pipe.  The  practice 
of  inhaling  is  everywhere  looked  upon  with  marked 
disapproval. 

Almost  every  year  scientific  investigation  reveals 
new  light  on  the  toxicity  of  tobacco,  and  every  fact  thus 
far  revealed  clinches  more  tightly  the  indictment 
against  it.  Only  a  few  years  ago  anti-tobacco  advo- 
cates limited  their  arguments  almost  exclusively  to  the 
nicotine  content,  while  at  the  present  time  science  has 
brought  to  their  aid  nearly  half  a  score  of  other  dan- 
gerous constituents. 


Ill 


rENERAL  PHYSIOLOGICAL  EFFECTS  OF  TOBACCO 


It  will  be  remembered  that  during  the  burning  pro- 
cess, a  number  of  chemical  substances  not  present  in 
tobacco  itself  are  developed,  and,  furthermore,  that  the 
particular  manner  in  which  it  is  burned  governs  to  a 
large  extent  the  character  and  quantity  of  these  gaseous 
compounds.  Tobacco,  unburned,  contains  a  long  list  of 
chemical  ingredients,  chief  among  which  from  our 
present  point  of  view  are  nicotine  and  nicotianin.  For 
many  years  nicotine  was  held  chiefly  responsible  for  the 
ill  effects  of  tobacco  no  matter  in  what  form  it  was  used. 
This  view  will,  of  course,  hold  true  at  present  for  tobac- 
co used  in  chewing.  But  of  more  recent  date,  chemists 
have  discovered  a  number  of  substances  in  tobacco 
smoke  that  seem  to  be  fully  as  grievous  as  nicotine, 
or  even  more  so. 

Drug  action  upon  various  individuals  may  not  pro- 
duce identically  the  same  conditions.  The  body  is  so 
constituted  that  the,  sympathy  of_one  organ  for  another 
often  results  in^njarkerl  distribution  oftnlHoacL^ Then 
:ain,  in  differentiuxlividuals  the  varifmsorgjms  may_ 
not  possess  equal  resistance!  In  consequence  of  this, 
one  smoker  may  first  show  impairment  of  the  heart, 
another  of  the  nervous  system,  and  still  another  of  the 
eves.  Some  few  tobacco-users  may  exhibit  no  serious 
symptoms,  even  after  long  continued  use.  And  herein 
lies  a  serions  danger. 


L- 


24  TOBACCO   AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

Organs  of  the  body  are  not  precisely  like  parts  of  a 
machine  that  can  be  examined  to  determine  whether  or 
not  they  are  withstanding  the  stress  of  the  load  to 
which  they  are  being  subjected:  yet  in  some  respects 
there  is  a  marked  similarity,  for  all  organs  of  the  body 
exhibit  danger  signals  as  soon  as  impairment  begins. 
And  like  the  dry  bearing  of  a  machine  that  becomes 
noisy  through  overheating,  the  heart,  nervous  system. 
lungs  and  digestive  tract  issue  warnings  when  imposed 
upon.  The  average  human  being,  however,  might  be 
likened  to  the  inexperienced  person  driving  his  first  car. 
who  scarcely  knows  whether  or  not  the  engine  is  run- 
ning well,  and  who  is  unable  to  localize  the  trouble 
when  he  knows  that  it  is  present.  The  owner  of  a  new 
machine  recently  drove  into  a  garage  wondering  why 
his  engine  was  failing-  to  resnond,  while  right  before  his 
eves  the  indicator  on  the  instrument  board  showed  that 
his  lubricating  oil  had  run  dry. 

Like  the  inexperienced  driver,  the  average  individual 
does  not  know,  or  will  not  admit,  that  harm  is  being 
done  or  that  the  body  is  out  of  repair  until  it  slows 
down  or  refuses  to  go  at  all.  This  similarity  applies  to 
almost  even-  smoker  in  existence.  Each  one.  somehow, 
«eems  to  think  that  he  is  an  exception  to  the  general 
rule,  and  refuses  to  believe  that  the  habit  is  doi^T  him 
harm  until  he  suddenly  comes  to  a  realization  of  the 
fact  that  his  health  is  probably  alreadv  permanentlv 
ifnnaired. 

No  arcument  is  needed  to  convince  even  the  most 
skeotical  that  the  renair  of  human  bodies,  like  machines, 
should  be  begun  (he  instant  that  dcoreciation  begins 
and    not    postponed    until    insurmountable    difficulties 


PHYSIOLOGICAL    EFFECTS   OF   TOBACCO       25 

arise.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  in  both  cases,  nothing  should 
be  tolerated  that  would  bring  on  an  impairment  of 
parts.  Tt  is  one  of  the  unexplainable  things  in  life, 
moreover,  that  otherwise  intelligent  beings  willingly 
subject  their  bodies  to  a  poisonous  narcotic  drug  and 
then  persist  in  maintaining  that  it  is  doing  them  no 
harm,  until  perhaps  some  serious  trouble  arises  that 
compels  them  to  admit  their  fallacies. 

Another  condition  almost  equally  as  strange  is  that 
most  smokers  resent  any  suggestion  that  tobacco  is 
doing  them  harm.  This  is  particularly  the  case  among 
young  smokers  who  have  not  yet  seriously  suffered 
from  its  effects.  Such  men  almost  never  care  to  talk  of 
the  matter,  in  fact  they  commonly  avoid  it  whenever 
possible.  They  sneer  at  any  suggestion  of  harm,  and 
are  seldom  willing  to  investigate  the  findings  of  science 
in  relation  to  the  habit.  The  percentage  of  young  men 
who  are  approachable  on  this  subject  and  who  are 
anxious  to  know  the  truth  about  it  is  decidely  small. 
No  one  seems  to  know  of  a  single  individual  who,  in 
the  early  days  of  his  smoking  career,  ever  went  to  his 
physician  or  friends  for  advice  in  the  matter. 

Anti-tobacco  literature  when  placed  in  the  hands  of 
young  men  who  have  recently  acquired  the  habit  is 
almost  neevr  read  and  when  it  is,  it  is  not  believed. 
When  at  public  lectures  where  the  matter  is  discussed, 
cigarettists  almost  never  become  interested  and  com- 
monly show  disrespect.  Tn  private  conversations  thev 
change  the  subject  as  soon  as  possible.  Young  men 
purposely  becoming  interested  in  the  discussion  of  this 
subject  are  virtually  unknown.  Tt  would  be  well  if  each 
smoking  youth  could  be  called  upon  to  explain  to  htm- 


26  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

self  his  lack  of  interest  in  this  vital  matter.  There  can 
be  but  little  question  that  each  explanation  would  con- 
tain a  confession  of  a  belief  that  tobacco  is  harmful  and 
that  the  fear  of  having  to  abandon  it  had  prevented  his 
discussing  the  matter. 

The  following  statements  have  been  carefully  se- 
lected from  the  world's  highest  authorities.  Parents 
and  others  who  are  engaged  in  preventing  the  spread 
of  the  tobacco  evil  will  do  well  to  make  note  of  the 
unanimity  of  statement  concerning  this  monster  enemy 
of  the  human  race. 

The  National  Standard  Dispensatory,  considered  by 
all  physicians  as  one  of  the  highest  court  of  appeals -in 
the  matter  of  drug  action,  has  the  following  to  say  con- 
cerning the  general  physiological  effect  of  tobacco: 

''Tobacco  is  rarely  employed  today  as  a  remedy  ex- 
cept in  domestic  practice.  It  is  a  local  irritant  to  mucous 
membranes,  stimulating  the  secretions,  increasing  the 
flow  of  saliva  when  chewed,  acting  as  a  laxative  when 
swallowed  in  small  quantity,  and  as  a  purge  in  larger 
dose.  Used  in  moderate  amount,  by  being  smoked. 
chewed,  or  snuffed  by  those  who' have  acquired  tolera- 
tion to  its  influence,  it  produces  a  sense  of  mental  and 
physical  restfulness  and  well-being  which  has  not  been 
accounted  for  by  studies  of  the  physiological  action  of 
the  crude  drug  or  its  alkaloid,  nicotine.  The  effects  of 
overdoses  of  tobacco,  as  usually  manifested,  consist  in 
nausea  and  vomiting",  quick,  deep,  and  afterward 
labored  respiration,  great  muscular  relaxation,  giddi- 
ness, menial  confusion,  restfulness,  an  enfeebled  circu- 
lation, general  depression,  and  occasional  clonic  convul- 
sions,  followed  by  complete  loss  of  reflexes  and    fatal 


PHYSIOLOGICAL    EFFECTS   OF  TOBACCO       27 

issue.  The  convulsions  are  considered  to  be  of  spinal 
origin,  and  death  is  due  chiefly  to  paralysis  of  respira- 
tion, the  heart  continuing'  to  pulsate  after  the  cessation 
U^ajthiiio^t^he  continuous  over-indulgence  in  the 
use  of  tobacco  results "7h  chronic  inflammation  of  the 
upper  respiratory  passages  indigestion  and  loss  of 
appetite,  r^^conclition  known  as  "tobacco  heart"'  char- 
acterized~~Dy  cardiac  irregularity  and  palpitation,  fre- 
quently follows  abuse  of  the  drug.  Headache,  giddi- 
ness, tremors  and  other  nervous  symptoms  are  of  com- 
mon occurrence.  Certain  eye  symptoms,  notably  dim- 
ness of  vision  for  colors,  and  even  complete  blindness. 
may  occur.  Examination  of  the  eye-grounds  in  these 
cases  reveals  paleness  of  the  retina  in  the  milder  type, 
and  in  the  severe  ones  the  optic  nerve  is  found  degen- 
erated. Tobacco  has  been  given  internally  to  correct 
habitual  constipation,  and  used  in  enemata  to  overcome 
impaction  of  feces  and  intestinal  obstruction.  As  an 
anti-spasmodic,  tobacco  and  nicotine  were  recommend- 
ed in  the  treatment  of  laryngismus  strudulus,  athma. 
hiccough,  tetanus,  and  strychnine  poisoning.  Locally, 
an  infusion  and  ointment  have  been  applied  with  benefit 
in  scabies,  tinea,  and  other  skin  affections.  Manv  cases 
of  poisoning,  some  with  fatal  issue,  have  resulted  from 
its  external  application,  so  that  this  use  has  been  aban- 
doned. Tobacco  may  be  given  as  an  emetic  in  the  dose 
of  five  grains,  but  is  unsafe.  The  dose  of  nicotine  is 
stated  to  be  from  one  sixtieth  to  one  sixth  grain." 

The  manner  in  which  tobacco  poisons  attack  various 
organs  of  the  body  is  pointed  out  in  the  following  state- 
ment of  Dr.  John  D.  Quackenbos,  Emeritus  Professor 
in  Columbia  University: 


28  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

"The  first  effect  of  tobacco  smoking  is  stimulating 
with  a  rise  of  blood-pressure.  Sedative  effects  follow 
"^-with  a  fall  of  blood-pressure,  and  if  the  smoking  is 
continued  the  nerves  are  depressed.  The  depression 
is  stimulative  in  the  system  of  the  smoker,  and  after 
varying  intervals  of  days,  weeks  or  months,  it  creates 
an  instinctive  demand  for  the  antidote  to  tobacco  pois- 
oning, and  that  is  alcohol.  The  intemperate  use  of  to- 
bacco thus  explains  seventy-five  per  cent  of  all  drink 
habit  cases.  The  alcohol  thirst  is  engendered  and  in- 
flamed by  smoke.  The  real  danger  in  smoking  consists 
largely  in  the  habit  of  inhalation,  whereby  the  volati- 
lized poisons  are  brought  into  immediate  contact  with 
many  hundreds  of  square  feet  of  vascular  air-sac  walls 
in  the  lungs,  and  are  thus  promptly  and  fully  absorbed, 
to  be  diffused  into  the  blood  and  carried  on  their  fatal 
errand  to  the  several  organs  of  the  body  Young  sub- 
jects immediately  learn  to  inhale.  They  are,  moreover, 
markedly  susceptible  to  the  influence  of  these  poisons, 
which  include,  beside  the  chief  active  constituent,  nico- 
tin-ammoniacal  vapors  that  dry  the  throat  and  liquefy 
the  blood,  carbon  monoxide  or  illuminating  gas  that 
induces  a  drowsy,  dizzy  condition  and  disturbed  heart 
action,  prnssic  acid  in  combination,  sulphuretted  hy- 
drogen, and  irritant  aldehydes,  all  virulent  nerve  pois- 
ons, capable  in  their  concentrated  conjoint  action  of 
paralyzing  the  muscles  of  respiration  and  so  causing 
leath" 

The  deleterious  effects  of  tobacco  upon  the  nervous 
system  is  made  clear  in  the  following  statement  by  Dr. 
C.  T-  Aldrick.  Lecturer  on  Clinical  Neuroloo-y  and  Ana 


PHYSIOLOGICAL   EFFECTS   OF  TOBACCO     .29 

tomy  of  the  Nervous  System,  at  the  Cleveland  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  : 

''Tobacco  is  a  respiratory  poison;  it  directly  affects 
the  centers — brain  centers — which  preside  over  res- 
piration. These  centers  are  delicate  nerve  mechanisms 
regulating  both  the  depth  and  frequency  of  the  res- 
piratory act.  '  In  health  whenever  the  blood  becomes 
overcharged  with  carbonic  acid,  this  center  becomes 
immediately  irritated  and  increases  both  the  depth  and 
frequency  of  the  normal  respiration ;  as  soon  as  the 
blood  becomes  free  from  carbonic  acid  the  respiration 
is  diminished  in  frequency  and  loses  depth.  The  con- 
stant and  harmonious  operation  of  this  delicate  center 
produces  the  normal  rhythmical  respiration  of  the 
healthful  man.  Anything  that  interferes  with  its 
normal  operation  interferes  with  the  proper  nutrition 
of  the  organism  and  jeopardizes  the  height,  growth, 
and  development  of  its  possessor. 

"The  effect  of  tobacco,  even  in  moderate  amounts, 
depresses  and  diminishes  the  fine  sensibility  of  this  im- 
portant center  and  inhibits  its  reactionary  powers  to 
the  stimulus  of  carbonic  acid  gas.  When  this  condition 
obtains  the  organs  must  of  necessity  suffer  from  ac- 
cumulation of  carbonic  acid  gas  and  a  deficiency  of 
oxygen.  The  former  is  most  inimical  to  perfect 
growth  and  development,  and  lack  of  the  latter  which 
is  so  essential  for  every  form  of  animal  life,  can  not 
fail  to  dwarf  and  disturb  the  development  and  func- 
tions of  the  growing  nervous  system.  Tobacco  is  a 
poison  to  the  motor  nerves ;  it  actually  diminishes  the 
power  of  the   respiratory   muscles;   it   diminishes   the 


30  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

force  of  the  heart's  action,  besides  it  renders  the  latter 
irritable,  easily  excited,  and  unable  to  respond  to  sud- 
den emergencies,  thereby  disturbing  and  interfering 
with  the  normal  circulation  of  the  blond,  and  thus  cut- 
ting oft  the  tissues  from  their  normal  supply  of  even 
the  nicotinized  product  of  the  habitual  smoker. 

"It  is  a  nerve  poison  but  its  action  upon,  the  nerve 
tissue  is  exerted  through  the  medium  of  the  blood 
vessels!  It  exerts  its  chief  effects  upon  the  respiratory 
Function  and  the  motor  nerve  cells  of  the  spinal  cord 
and  brain.  Tobacco,  by  preventing  the  elimination  of 
the  waste  products  of  nervous  activity  and  preventing 
the  supply  of  foods  and  oxygen  to  rebuild  the  worn  out 
tissues,  operates  directly  as  a  cause  for  nervous  disease, 
as  well  as  mental  and  moral  degeneracy." 

Dr.  L.  Lauder  Brunton,  the  famous  English  Physi- 
cian of  St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital  and  College,  says 

of  the  action  of  tobacco  upon  the  heart: 

"If  tobacco  be  pushed  to  too  great  an  extent  it  is 
a  powerful  heart  poison  and  it  has  a  curious  effect  upon 
the  heart,  which,  I  think,  varies  according  to  the  kind 
of  tobacco  employed."  In  excess,  tobacco  "seems  to 
bring  on  an  affection  of  the  heart  characterized  by  ex- 
traordinary irregularity.  It  is  impossible  to  describe 
the  rhythym  in  words,  but  it  is  something  like  this, 
and  is  apparently  due  to  partial  paralysis  of  the  vagus 
nerve.  So  long  as  the  tobacco  is  continued  this  irri- 
tability of  the  heart  is  likely  to  last.  A  curious  point 
about  it  is  that  a  very  little  tobacco  will  keep  up  this 
irritability,  and  that  some  times  it  is  necessary  to  tell 
the  patient  not  merely  to  lessen  the  quantity  of  tobacco 


PHYSIOLOGICAL    EFFECTS   OF   TOBACCO       31. 

that  he  is  smoking  but  to  stop  it  altogether  until  the 
'heart  becomes  regular." 

Professor  Irving  Fisher  of  Yale  University,  who  was 
recently  called  upon  by  the  United  States  Government 
to  make  a  report  on  National  Vitality,  says: 

"As  to  tobacco,  it  is  a  common  observation  that 
smoking  interferes  with  one's  'wind'  in  running.  The 
poisons  which  probably  bring  about  this  result  include 
others  than  nicotine.  Possibly  the  most  important 
poison  is  carbon  monoxide,  which  has  a  great  affinity 
for  the  iron  in  the  blood.  When  the  smoker  'inhales' 
this  poison,  probably  joined  with  others,  it  enters  di- 
rectly into  the  blood  stream.  In  an  experiment  carried 
on  by  Dr.  Lombard,  'smoking  was  found  to  have  a  very 
depressing  effect  upon  the  strength  of  the  voluntary 
muscular  contractions.  *  *  *  Undoubtedly  the  effect 
of  tobacco  to  lessen  the  voluntary  power  is  due  to  its 
influence  upon  the  central  nervous  system.'  It  is  the 
testimony  of  many  users  of  tobacco  that  the  habit  leads 
to  nervousness  and  disinclination  to  exertion  directly 
after  smoking.  Experimentation  has  shown  that  smok- 
ing increases  blood  pressure.  The  greater  resistance  to 
circulation  offered  by  the  blood  is  presumably  due  to 
the  excitation  caused  by  the  introduction  into  the  blood 
stream  of  foreign  matter  from  the  tobacco.  There  is 
reason  to  believe,  though  the  fact  has  not  been  estab- 
lished, that  endurance  is  lessened  by  high  blood  pres- 
sure." 

Dr.  D.  H.  Kress,  who  has  recently  made  himself 
prominent  in  the  matter  of  a  cure  for  the  tobacco  habit, 
presents  his  attitude  thus  : 

"The   cigarette   strikes   a   direct  blow   at  the   most 


SZ  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

vital  organ  of  the  body.  It  weakens  the  heart  action. 
For  this  reason  it  is  difficult  for  the  cigarette  addict 
to  engage  in  athletics.  He  finds  he  is  easily  winded 
and  is  lacking  in  endurance.  He  soon  loses  all  am- 
bition to  engage  in  sports,  or,  in  fact,  in  any  useful 
occupation.  Associating  with  others  of  his  kind,  he 
soon  begins  to  visit  the  pool  rooms.  In  time  he  may 
end  up  in  the  juvenile  court,  reform  school  or  peni- 
tentiary. It  is  estimated  that  96  per  cent  of  our  youth- 
ful criminals  are  cigarette  addicts.  The  boy  with  a 
weakened  heart  is  more  apt  to  succumb  to  typhoid 
fever,  tuberculosis  or  other  acute  diseases  which  especi- 
ally tax  the  heart,  should  he  he  striken  down  with 
them.  The  cigarette  injures  the  boy  morally.  He  is 
almost  as  difficult  to  impress  as  the  cocaine  fiend." 

Dr.  Arthur  R.  Cushny,  at  one  time  professor  in  the 
University  of  Michigan,  but  now  of  the  University  of 
London  is  quoted  as  follows : 

"One  of  the  commonest  effects  of  indulgence  in  to- 
bacco is  a  chronic  inflammation  of  the  throat  and  upper 
respiratory  passages  leading  to  hoarseness  and  exces- 
sive secretion  of  the  mucous  glands.  This  is  explained 
by  the  constant  application  to  the  throat  of  an  irritat- 
ing alkali  vapor  and  is  probably  due  to  the  specific  ac- 
tion of  the  nicotine.  A  similar  irritated  condition  of 
the  tongue  is  met  with,  *  *  *  and  it  is  some- 
times stated  that  the  constant  irritation  thus  produced 
renders  the  tongue  and  lip  more  liable  to  cancerous  dis- 
ease. Dyspepsia,  want  of  appetite  and  constant  loss 
of  flesh  may  also  be  explained  by  the  local  irritation 
produced  by  the  nicotine  swallowed  in  the  saliva." 


IV 

THE  SMOKER  AND  THE  SMOKED 

Irranother  connection  it  has  already  been  shown  that 
tobacco~smoke  (^ntajnlTlTlongMist  of  drugs  highly 
detrimental  to  human  health.  Even  smokers  probably 
will  concede  that  the  injury  accomplished  by  these 
agents  is  in  direct  proportion  to  the  amount  consumed, 
varying  of  course  with  individual  resistance.  This 
being  true,  it  follows  that  the  smoker  himself  is  injured 
most  of  all,  and  next  to  him  his  immediate  associates. 

No  one  will  contend  that  the  smoker,  even  though 
he  inhales,  absorbs  into  his  system  all  of  the  poisonous 
products  present  in  tobacco  smoke;  the  remaining  part, 
of  course,  passes  from  the  smoker's  mouth  and  nostrils 
to  be  disseminated  in  the  atmosphere.  It  is  already  a 
scientifically  demonstrated  fact  that  individuals  asso- 
ciated with  smokers  are  adversely  affected  by  their 
habits.  While  the  injury  is  not  so  great  as  that  pro- 
duced by  direct  smoking,  yet  it  is  plainly  measurable. 

Physicians  and  others  have  long  felt  that  tobacco 
smoking  by  fathers  in  poorly  ventilated  rooms  has  been 
the  cause  of  many  deleterious  effects  among  children. 
Dr.  Leadsworth  reports  the  case  of  an  eight-year-old 
boy  who  showed  symptoms  of  severe  poisoning.  The 
boy  upon  being  sweated  "gave  off  a  marked  nicotine 
odor  and  stain,"'  although  he  himself  had  never  used 
tobacco.     Upon  further  inquiry  it  was  learned  that  the 


34  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

father  was  an  inveterate  smoker,  who  persistently  in- 
dulged in  the  presence  of  his  children. 

Perhaps  the  most  positive  demonstration  of  the  effect 
of  tobacco  smoke  upon  the  non-smoker  comes  from  n 
recent  experiment  performed  in  Austria.  Professor 
von  Frankl-Hochwart  of  Vienna,  a  recognized  Euro 
pean  authority  upon  narcotic  diseases,  recently  con- 
ducted an  elaborate  series  of  experiments  to  determine 
the  effect  of  tobacco  upon  the  human  organism. 

His  experience  had  already  compelled  him  to  believe 
that  non-smokers  are  very  frequently  adversely  affected 
by  the  smoking  of  others.  For  the  purpose  of  his 
experiment  he  selected  twenty-eight  adults,  two  of 
whom  were  women,  and  all  of  whom  were  doctors  or 
assistants  in  medicine,  ranging  from  twenty  to  fifty 
years  of  age.  A  small  room  with  doors  and  windows 
closed  was  chosen  for  the  experiment.  About  twenty- 
five  grams  of  loose  tobacco  was  smoked  by  a  bellows 
Until  the  room  was  completely  filled  with  the  fumes. 
Two  persons  usually  entered  the  room  together.  At 
short  intervals  measurements  and  readings  were  taken 
of  the  pulse,  the  respiration,  the  blood  pressure,  and 
mental  action.  In  all  some  sixty-two  experiments  were 
performed. 

Of  the  twenty-eight  subjects  four  (14%)  appear  to 
have  been  practically  immune,  while  the  remaining 
twenty- four  subjects  (86%)  were  visibly  affected. 
Professor  von  Frankl-Hochwart,  who  himself  is  not 
a  smoker,  but  who  has  been  much  in  rooms  filled  with 
smoke,  reports  that  during  the  early  part  of  the  experi- 
ment he  experienced  a  certain  mental  quickening  sim- 


THE  SMOKERS  AND  THE  SMOKED      35 

ilar  to  that  following  the  drinking  of  small  quantities 
of  wine.  Similar  effects  were  also  noticed  in  others, 
both  smokers  and  non-smokers.  Gradually  this  mental 
state  gave  place  to  one  of  discomfort  and  of  dislike  for 
surroundings.  An  unpleasant  bitter  taste  with  flavor 
of  tobacco  was  experienced.  A  strong  tendency  to 
sleep  commonly  appeared.  Some  of  the  subjects  ex- 
perienced these  effects  soon  after  entering  the  room  and 
others  not  until  some  time  after  leaving.  Among  the 
symptoms  observed  in  the  subjects  were :  general  rest- 
lessness, nervousness,  headache,  slight  faintness  and 
nausea,  sometimes  inflamed  state  of  the  mucous  mem- 
brane, conjunctivitis  and  pharyngitis. 

The  Lancet,  probably  England's  greatest  medical 
journal,  summarizes  the  results  of  Professor  von 
l-Vankl-Hochwart's  experiment  as  follows:  "Turkish 
tobacco  weighing  twenty-five  grams  was  burnt  in  a 
small  room  during  twenty  minutes,  and  the  changes 
produced  in  the  blood  pressure,  the  pulse  rate,  and  the 
velocity  of  psychic  reaction  were  noted  in  persons  who 
inhaled  the  air  of  the  room.  A  number  of  persons  (4) 
were  quite  refractory  to  the  effects  of  the  smoke. 
Others  showed  at  first  euphoria,  but  at  a  later  stage 
well-marked  depression  and  the  not  infrequent  altera- 
tion of  the  sense  of  taste  called  paragensianicotinica. 
The  blood  pressure  fell,  while  the  pulse  rate  increased 
in  some  persons  and  diminished  in  others.  If  the 
amount  of  twenty-five  grams  of  tobacco  was  smoked 
in  the  ordinary  way  the  effects  were  the  same,  but 
came  on  more  rapidly  in  the  persons  affected  by  the 
smoke." 


36  TOBACCO   AND   HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

Tobacco  from  which  the  nicotine  had  been  extracted 
was  used  in  another  part  of  the  experiment,  but  the 
effect  of  this  smoke  was  not  nearly  so  disturbing  as  that 
derived  from  the  natural  product.  It  would  appear 
from  this  experiment  that  nicotine  is  the  principal  toxic 
factor  present  in  tobacco  smoke,  but  it  should  be  borne 
in  mind  that  none  of  this  tobacco  was  burned  in  con- 
nection with  paper,  as  in  the  case  of  cigarettes,  and. 
therefore,  that  the  harmful  effects  of  acrolein  and  fur- 
fural would,  according  to  the  data  cited  elsewhere  in 
T>nne^t;on  with  the  chemistry  of  tobacco  smoke,  in  all 
probability,  be  absent. 

TobiTo  smoke  should  be  looked  upon  as  a  marked 
ooison.  whether  used  first — or  second-handed,  its 
<»^"*s  be1' no-  direct1  v  proportional  to  the  degree  of  its 
~,v-.~onf-a<--"pn  l\Tost  nersons  unaccustomed  to  the  use 
of  tobacco  feel  a  marked  dizziness  and  sickness  at  the 
stomach  upon  be;ng  subjected  to  its  smoke,  especially 
;f  in  a  closed  room.  Tobacco  smoke  in  the  open  prob- 
iVv  never  b^omes  sufficiently  concentrated  to  endan- 
ger human  health,  but  in  closed  rooms  quite  different 
results  are  obtained.  Smokers  at  clubs,  banquets  and 
at  home,  not  uncommonly  show  complete  disregard  for 
Toner  ventilation.  Even  physicians  and  trained  scien- 
tists frequently  shut  themselves  up  in  small  rooms  and 
smoke  until  the  atmosphere  is  literally  charged. 
Fathers  at  home  often  follow  the  practice  of  smoking 
iust  before  going  to  bed  even  in  the  presence  of  their 
sleeping  children.  It  is  by  no  means  an  uncommon 
occurrence  for  children  to  sleep  in  rooms  laden  with 
tobacco  smoke.     As  a  matter  of  fact  a  considerable  per- 


THE  SMOKERS  AND  THE  SMOKED  37 

eentage   of   American   children   are   reared   in   an   at- 
mosphere vitiated  and  poisoned  by  such  fumes. 

This  condition  is  very  largely  the  result  of  ignorance, 
and  partially  perhaps  of  selfishness.  It  can  hardly  be 
thought,  however,  that  when  men  once  become  aware 
of  the  injury  they  are  thus  imposing  upon  others  that 
they  will  insist  upon  following  such  a  pernicious  prac- 
tice. Unfortunately  the  opinion  is  almost  universally 
held  by  smokers  that  if  any  injury  is  being  done  they 
alone  are  the  sufferers.  It  would  hardly  seem  neces- 
sary to  argue  that  a  delicate  infant  would  seriously  be 
injured  in  an  atmosphere  laden  with  tobacco  smoke, 
yet  parents  on  every  hand  may  be  seen  thus  abusing 
their  children.  The  entire  organism  of  the  young  child 
is  very  susceptible  to  disturbance.  There  can  be  no 
question  that  many  of  the  ailments  appearing  in  later 
life  are  the  result  of  being  subjected  to  tobacco  smoke 
in  childhood.  If  cigarette  smoke  will  reduce  lung  ca- 
pacity, shorten  the  "wind",  parch  the  throat,  increase 
the  blood  pressure  and  break  down  the  heart  of  full 
grown  healthy  men,  what  can  be  expected  of  its  influ- 
ence upon  babies?  Men  who  would  be  shocked  if  their 
children  acquired  the  habit  of  smoking  not  uncommonly 
complacently  fill  the  home  living-room  with  the  fumes 
of  their  own  indulgence. 

There  is  great  need  of  public  enlightenment  along 
these  lines.  Undoubtedly  there  are  many  individuals 
who  are  willing  to  learn,  and  who  upon  learning  will 
at  once  profit  thereby-  Then  there  are  those  who  do 
not  care  to  learn,  and  who  will  persist  in  the  pleasure 
of  personal  indulgence.     It  does  not  require  the  fore- 


38  TOBACCO   AND   HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

sisdit  of  a  prophet  to  declare  that  the  time  is  not  far 
distant  when  civil  law  will  make  it  impossible  for 
fathers  to  smoke  in  the  presence  of  their  children. 

Nor  is  the  injury  limited  to  infants  and  small  chil- 
dren. It  seems  to  be  very  generally  believed  that  the 
effects  of  stimulants  and  narcotics  are  much  more  pro- 
nounced upon  children  up  to  and  including  those  of  the 
adolescent  period,  than  upon  adults.  Tt  should  he 
borne  in  mind  that  the  experiments  of  Professor  von 
Frankl-Hochwart  involved  only  mature  individuals, 
many  of  whom  were  habitual  users  of  tobacco,  and  that 
86  per  cent  of  them  showed  marked  signs  of  mental  and 
physical  disturbance  upon  being  subjected  to  a  smoke- 
laden  atmosphere.  The  question  as  to  its  effect  upon 
boys  and  girls,  therefore,  needs  no  discussion.  Tt  would 
be  interesting,  however,  to  investigate  the  effect  of 
early  exposure  in  producing  a  craving  for  tobacco 
a  few  years  later.  Do  boys  reared  in  smoke-saturated 
homes  acquire  the  tobacco  habit  more  readily  than 
other  boys?  In  other  words  does  second-hand  smok- 
ing lead  to  first-hand  smoking?  If  we  are  not  mis- 
taken the  future  will  answer  these  questions  in  a  most 
positive  affirmation. 

Non-smokers  on  the  other  hand  also  need  enlighten- 
ment on  this  matter.  They  commonly  feel  thai  they 
are  avoiding  the  injurious  effects  of  tobacco  by  abstain- 
ing from  its  use,  and  are  often  quite  willing  to  permit 
smokers  to  indulge  in  their  presence.  Should  any 
non-smoker  feel  that  he  is  not  affected  by  the  practice 
of  others,  let  him  attempt  to  perform  a  difficult  mental 
ta^k  in  a  room  filled  with  the  fumes  of  tobacco  smoke. 


THE  SMOKERS  AND  THE  SMOKED  39 

then  let  him  attempt  a  similar  task  in  a  room  filled  with 
clean  fresh  air.  Only  now  and  then  non-smokers  seem 
to  possess  the  courage  to  insist  upon  their  rights.  For 
years  and  years  the  congressional  chambers  at  Wash- 
ington have  been  stifling  with  the  fumes  of  tobacco. 
Recently,  however,  a  southern  member  of  the  upper 
house,  who  had  tasted  of  the  evil  effects  of  smoking, 
proposed  that  during  official  sessions  the  practice  be  no 
longer  allowed.     His  suggestion  was  adopted. 

Science  has  clearly  shown  that  the  evil  effects  of  to- 
bacco are  by  no  means  limited  to  those  who  use  it. 
Here  and  there  a  few  non-users  are  insisting  upon  their 
right  to  breathe  the  unpointed  air  of  nature ;  most  of 
them  are  not. 


V 

CIGARETTES  ESPECIALLY  OBJECTIONABLE 

Of  all  the  forms  in  which  tobacco  is  used  the  cigar- 
ette is  without  question  open  to  the  severest  condemna- 
tion. While  its  use  is  not  so  filthy  a  habit  as  chewing-, 
yet  it  is  more  objectionable  from  other  points  of  view. 
The  cigarette  can  safely  be  regarded  as  the  parent  of 
the  tobacco  habit,  for  if  there  were  no  cigarettes 
untold  numbers  of  our  present  smokers  would  never 
have  acquired  the  hain't.  The  large  majority  of  tobacco 
users  began  with  cigarettes.  If  there  were  no  cigar- 
ettes, practically  no  boys  would  use  tobacco,  and  if  no 
boys  used  tobacco  very  few  of  them  would  acquire  the 
habit  after  having  grown  up. 

The  great  tobacco  companies  understand  this  fact 
very  well,  and  hence  their  widespread  efforts  to  put  the 
cigarette  in  the  foreground.  Of  the  millions  of  dollars 
spent  by  these  companies  in  advertising  tobacco,  it 
would  likely  be  safe  to  say  that  at  least  ninety  per  cent 
has  been  spent  on  the  cigarette  and  tobacco  designed 
for  its  making.  When  the  American  tobacco  com- 
panies began  their  campaign  in  China  they  did  not 
begin  with  the  cigar  or  chewing  tobacco,  but  with  the 
cigarette,  because  they  knew  that  the  other  forms  would 
follow.  They  have  studied  the  order  in  which  the  to- 
bacco habit  is  acquired  and  developed  just  as  completely 
as  has  the  trained  teacher  the  general  process  of  learn- 
ing. Algebra  does  not  come  before  arithmetic,  neither 
do  cigars  before  cigarettes. 


CIGARETTES  ESPECIALLY  OBJECTIONABLE     41 

The  cigarette  possesses  at  least  three  properties  that 
make  it  especially  adapted  for  use  by  boys  and  young 
men;  it  is  easily  obtainable,  cheap  and  mild.  Most 
boys  begin  smoking  without  the  knowledge  or  consent 
of  their  parents.  It  is  not  a  difficult  matter  for  the 
average  boy  to  obtain  a  five-cent  bag  of  tobacco  and 
hide  it  away  from  his  father  and  mother,  and  this,  too, 
in  spite  of  existing  laws  prohibiting  its  sale  to  minors. 
A  single  bag  at  first  will  last  him  and  his  companions 
for  several  days  and  perhaps  weeks.  If  cigarettes  were 
as  difficult  to  get  and  cost  as  much  as  cigars,  very  few 
boys  and  young  men  would  use  them.  Then  again  the 
cip-ar  and  pipe  are  so  strong  that  they  are  actually  re- 
pulsive to  most  boys  even  after  the  cigarette  habit  has 
been  acquired. 

Nearly  every  state  in  the  Union  has  enacted  laws 
prohibiting  the  sale  and  use  of  tobacco  to  boys.  The 
motive  behind  these  laws  cannot  be  questioned,  but  the 
practical  results  are  not  far  different  from  what  they 
would  be  if  the  sale  of  liquor  were  prohibited  and 
still  it  were  left  on  the  shelves  in  full  view  of  custom- 
ers, or  perhaps  better  still,  if  its  sale  were  prohibited 
to  the  masses  and  permitted  to  a  chosen  few.  Of  one 
thing  we  can  be  very  sure  and  that  is:  just  so  long  as 
the  sale  of  cigarettes  is  permitted  to  men  they  will  also 
be  purchased  by  bo  vs. 

Every  living  individual  knows  that  the  command. 
"Thou  shalt  not"  is  invariably  followed  by  a  desire 
"do".  To  the  writer  the  best  woman  in  the  world, 
when  a  child,  was  told  by  her  mother  not  to  look  under 
a  certain  bowl  on  the  pantry  shelf,  and  then  the  little 


42  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

girl  was  left  alone  to  see  if  she  would  obey.  A  mouse 
that  had  been  placed  under  the  bowl  was  missing  when 
the  mother  returned.     She  knew  what  had  happened. 

Scarcely  a  normal  child  in  the  world  would  have  done 
otherwise.  And  sometimes  the  writer  wonders  if  our 
practice  of  prohibiting  the  use  of  tobacco  to  boys,  and 
still  leaving  it  within  their  reach,  is  not  after  all  the 
strongest  incentive  they  have  for  its  use? 

The  practice  involved  is  diametrically  opposed  to 
the  best  principles  of  modern  thought.  AYe  would  not 
place  our  children  in  the  constant  company  of  thieves 
if  we  wish  them  to  remain  honest,  nor  among  the  un- 
derworld if  we  wish  them  to  be  virtuous,  nor  in  the  face 
of  contagion  if  we  wish  them  to  remain  well.  Un- 
doubtedly there  are  a  few  who  would  survive  these 
conditions,  but  the  great  mass  would  succumb. 

The  wonder  really  is  not  that  so  many  boys  acquire 
the  cigarette  habit,  but  that  so  few  acguire  it.  The  great 
credit  is  due  primarily  to  the  influence  of  the  home  and 
the  Church.  The  law-makers  are  unquestionably  well- 
meaning  in  what  they  have  done,  but  peremptory  de- 
mands are  seldom  followed  by  desired  results.  The 
Juvenile  Court  officers  have  performed  a  wonderful 
work  under  the  present  handicap,  but  they  are  con- 
stantly proclaiming  their  inability  to  cope  with  the 
situation. 

And  so  the  cigarette  must  go.  We  must  remove  the 
temptation  from  before  the  eyes  of  our  youth.  "When 
the  sale  and  display  of  cigarettes  and  cigarette  tobacco 
is  prohibited  very  few  boys  will  learn  to  smoke.  But  this 
prohibition  will  not  be  accomplished  without  a  mighty 


CIGARETTES  ESPECIALLY  OBJECTIONABLE    43 

struggle.  The  tobacco  companies  know  far  better  than 
does  the  public  that  this  form  of  tobacco  lies  at  the  base 
of  the  whole  industry.    It  might  here  be  said  by  way  of 

parenthesis  that  those  who  have  studied  the  tobacco  evil 
are  positive  that  the  American  people  will  finally  rise  up 
against  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  all  forms  of  to- 
bacco, just  as  the}-  are  now  rising  against  the  liquor  evil. 
But  the  first  step  must  be  prohibition  of  the  manu- 
facture and  sale  of  cigarettes  and  cigarette  tobacco.  The 
present  law  prohibiting  the  use  of  tobacco  in  any  form 
to  minors  can  be  retained  with  profit,  for  in  spite  of  its 

imperfections,  it  does  more  good  than  harm. 
********* 

From  quite  another  point  of  view  the  cigarette  is 
especially  objectionable — that  is.  its  physiological  effect. 

For  man\-  years  it  was  popularly  believed  that  cigar- 
ette tobacco  and  especially  cigarette  paper  were  treated 
with  foreign  substances  for  the  purpose  of  giving  it  a 
"come  back"  effect.  Whatever  foundation  there  may 
previously  have  been  for  this  belief  there  is  little  reason 
at  present  for  suspecting  that  cigarettes  are  so  treated. 
Cigarette  tobacco  differs  but  little  from  .other  forms 
except  in  its  method  of  preparation.  The  quality  of 
the  various  brands  depends  to  a  large  extent  upon  the 
particular  blends  or  mixture  employed. 

Every  student  of  science  knows,  however,  that  dead- 
ly poisons  very  commonly  arise  through  the  burnng  of 
substances  previously  harmless.  And  according  to  no 
less  an  authority  than  the  great  American  genius. 
Thomas  A.  Edison,  the  smoking  of  the  paper  wrapper 
in   connection    with    cigarettes,    produces   the   virulent 


44  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

poison  acrolein.  It  seems,  therefore,  that  science  is  far 
from  dispelling  any  of  the  odium  attached  to  cigarette 
paper. 

It  will  be  recalled  that  the  experiments  con- 
ducted in  the  laboratories  of  the  London  Lancet 
showed  that  more  nicotine  was  actually  destroyed  in 
the  cigarette  than  in  the  cigar  or  pipe,  and  that,  there- 
fore, from  this  point  of  view  alone,  the  cigarette  should 
be  the  least  harmful  form  of  tobacco  indulgence.  Then 
again,  because  of  its  open,  loose  texture  and  rapid 
burning  the  cigarette  emits  less  carbon  monoxide  than 
either  the  pipe  or  the  cigar. 

'Attention  has  elsewhere  been  called  to  the  fact  that 
the  chemistry  of  tobacco  is  by  no  means  identical  with 
that  of  tobacco  smoke:  It  should  also  be  borne  in  mind 
that  upon  the  manner  in  which  tobacco  is  smoked  de- 
pends the  nature  and  even  the  presence  of  certain  sub- 
stances. A  slowly  smouldering  pipe,  as  just  pointed 
out,  will  produce  considerably  more  nicotine  and  carbon 
monoxide  than  a  rapidly  burning  cigarette.  On  the 
other  hand,  several  dangerous  poisons  not  present  in 
the  smoke  of  either  the  pipe  or  the  cigar,  have  been 
discovered  and  measured  in  that  of  the  cigarette.  The 
London  Lancet  has  shown  that  furfural,  one  of  the 
most  virulent  poisons  known,  is  produced  almost  exclu- 
sively by  certain  forms  of  cigarettes,  chiefly  American 
(and  practically  all  cigarettes  sold  in  America  are  re- 
ported to  be  made  of  American  tobacco,  in  spite  of  the 
Egyptian  and  Turkish  names  attached  to  the  finished 
products).  The  Lancet  does  not  seem  to  be  convinced 
that  furfural  may  not  be  even  more  deadly  than  nico- 
tine. 


CIGARETTES  ESPECIALLY  OBJECTIONABLE     *5 

And  so  we  find  in  the  smoke  of  cigarettes  at  least 
two  dangerous  substances,  furfural  and  acrolein,  not 
believed  to  be  present  in  that  of  either  the  pipe  or  the 
cigar. 

The  greatest  danger  of  all  in  connection  with  the 
cigarette  habit  is  the  almost  universal  practice  of  "in- 
haling". The  various  poisons  enter  the  body  almost  ex- 
clusively by  absorption  through  the  mucous  membrane, 
or  lining  of  the  respiratory  system.  In  the  case  of 
those  who  smoke  cigars  and  pipes  the  smoke  comes  into 
contact  with  the  lining  of  the  mouth  only.  When 
smoke  is  inhaled,  however,  it  is  conducted  through  the 
mouth  down  into  the  lungs  and  then  back  through  the 
nasal  cavity,  thus  coming  into  contact  with  hundreds  of 
square  feet  of  mucous  membrane  in  comparison  with  a 
square  foot  or  two  when  inhaling  is  not  indulged  in. 
The  injury  accomplished  by  smoking  is  almost  directly 
proportional  to  the  area  reached  by  the  poisonous 
fumes.  Inhalers  are  afflicted  with  all  sorts  of  nasal 
and  throat  disturbances  not  commonly  found  in  other 
smokers.  Smokers  never  inhale  from  pipes  or  cigars 
unless  they  are  users  of  very  long  standing,  or  unless 
i  hey  began  with  cigarettes.  Inhaling  from  cigars  or 
pipes  is  perhaps  the  most  dangerous  of  all  because 
stronger  tobacco  is  usually  involved. 

The  injury  done  by  inhaling  in  comparison  with 
ordinary  smoking  may  very  readily  be  judged  from  the 
results  of  the  familiar  experiment  in  which  the  smoke  is 
blown  through  a  moistened  handkerchief,  first  without 
inhaling  and  second  after  inhaling.  The  difference  in 
discoloration  between   the  two  places  through   which 


46  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

the  smoke  was  blown  is  very  marked,  the  first  stain 
being  decidedly  pronounced  and  the  other  scarcel\'  no- 
ticeable. The  lining  of  the  month,  throat,  lungs  and 
nasal  cavity  are  thus  shown  to  act  as  a  filter  in  remov- 
ing certain  substances  from  the  tobacco  f nines.  The 
constant  irritation  set  up  by  the  deposition  of  these 
products  upon  this  delicate  lining  gives  rise  to  a  wide 
variety  of  ailments. 

Aside  from  the  points  just  mentioned  it  should  he 
remembered  that  nicotine  is  a  very  volatile  substance, 
and  in  consequence,  is  rapidly  forced  away  from  the 
lighted  end  of  the  cigarette  toward  the  smoker's  mouth. 
It  is  a  well  known  fact  among  users  that  as  the  cigarette 
becomes  shorter  it  also  becomes  stronger,  due  of  course 
to  the  increased  quantity  of  nicotine.  The  craving 
which  most  smokers  have  for  the  ''stubs"  is  evidenced 
by  their  hesitancy  in  parting  with  them.  The  last 
"draw"  seems  to  be  equivalent  to  parting  with  a  life- 
long friend.  There  areplainlv  two  dangers  in  thus 
completely  consuming  the  cigarette;  in  the  first  place 
practically  all  of  the  nicotine  is  forced  into  the  system. 
land,  secondly,  the  vapors  enter  the  month  and  lungs  at 
a  dangerously  high  temperature. ^  The  latter  difficulty 
parti)-  may  be  overcome  by  smoking  the  cigarette  in  a 
)  holder  or  stem,  but  this  encourages  the  smoking  of  all 
of  it,  and  thus  again  increases  the  quantity  of  nicotine 
consumed.  In  a  word,  therefore,  cigarettes  may  be 
said  to  be  especially  injurious  principally  because  of  the 
ever-attending  practice  of  inhaling  hot  fumes  heavily 
laden  with  a  variety  of  poisi  »ns. 

It  is  very  generally  admitted  both  by  smokers  and 
non-smokers  that  the  most  dangerous  and  elusive  form 


CIGARETTES  ESPECIALLY  OBJECTIONABLE 

in  which  tobacco  is  used  is  the  cigarette.  Naturally 
enough  the  manufacturers  of  tobacco  can  here  and  there 
find  smokers  who  are  willing  to  praise  this  or  that  par- 
ticular brand.  We  should  naturally  expect  that  indi- 
viduals enamored  by  a  habit  would  be  willing  to 
praise  it. 

Following  are  the  opinions,  however,  of  three  au- 
thorities, (numbers  without  limit  could  be  added)  who 
have  studied  the  matter  from  an  accurate,  unbiased, 
scientific  point  of  view,  and  whose  statements  cannot  be 
questioned. 

Hudson  Maxim,  probably  the  greatest  living  author- 
ity on  gas  and  explosives,  has  this  to  say  concerning 
cigarettes : 

"Owing  to  the  loose  structure  of  the  cigarette  its  com- 
bustion is  modified  and  destructive  distillation  proceeds 
with  combustion,  owing  to  the  incompleteness  of  oxida- 
tion, carbonic  oxide  inhaled  into  the  lungs  enters  the 
blood  unresisted,  and  the  damage  it  does  is  in  direct 
proportion  to  the  quantities  inhaled.  Carbonic  oxide 
when  inhaled  in  small  quantities  produces  faintness, 
dizziness,  palpitation  of  the  heart,  and  a  feeling  of  great 
heaviness  in  the  feet  and  legs.  These  are  exactly  the 
effects  of  the  cigarette,  and  the  depression  and  nervous- 
ness which  follow  as  a  reaction  make  the  victim  crave 
some  balm  or  tonic  for  his  malaise.  He  is  then  led  to 
consume  the  drug  in  ever-increasing  quantities.  If  all 
boys  could  be  made  to  know  that  with  every  breath  of 
cigarette  smoke  they  inhale  imbecility  and  exhale  man- 
hood, that  they  are  tapping  their  arteries  as  surely  and 
letting  their  life  blood  out  as  truly  as  though  their  veins 


48  rOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

and  arteries  were  severed,     *     *     *     *     it  ought  to 

deter  them  some." 

Dr.  T.  D.  Crothers,  Superintendent  Walnut  Lodge 
Hospital,  Hartford,  Conn.,  says: 

"There  can  be  no  question  that  cigarette  smoking  is 
the  most  perilous  of  all  forms  of  tobacco.  The  prin- 
cipal reason  is  that  the  products  of  combustion  arc 
drawn  directly  to  the  mouth  and  absorbed,  and  while 
the  quantity  is  small,  the  effects  are  accumulative.  Ex- 
perience and  observation  are  united  in  this  conclusion 
that  the  cigarette  smoker  is  the  most  degenerate  and 
palsied  of  all  users  of  tobacco.'' 

Chas.  B.  Towns,  Superintendent  Towns  Hospital, 
Xew  York  City,  says : 

''The  cigarette  smoker  almost  invariably  inhales,  and 
he  gets  the  most  harm  merely  because  the  bronchial 
mucous  membrane  absorbs  the  poison  most  rapidly. 
The  tobacco  itself  is  no  more  harmful  than  it  is  in  a 
pipe  or  a  cigar.  Furthermore,  the  tobacco  is  generally 
drier  in  a  cigarette  and  for  that  reason  the  combustion 
is  better,  for  the  products  of  the  dry  and  damp  tobacco 
are  not  the  same.  But  since  it  is  a  little  difficult  to 
inhale  a  pipe  or  a  cigar  without  choking,  the  smoke 
products  of  a  pipe  or  cigar  are  usually  absorbed  only  by 
the  mouth,  nose  and  throat,  whereas  the  inhaled  smoke 
of  the  cigarette  is  absorbed  by  the  entire  area  of  wind- 
pipe and  bronchial  tubes". 

Yet,  in  spite  of  these  facts,  the  sale  and  use  of  cigrr  - 
ettes  are  rapidly  increasing,  especialh:  among  boys  and 
young  men.  Tt  would  be  interesting  to  know  how  long 
the  American  people  will  tolerate  if  not  actually  en- 
c<  uirage  the  outrage. 


VI 

ARE  MEN  IMMUNE? 

The  absurdity  of  maintaining  that  tobacco  acts  as  a 
virulent  poison  when  taken  by  boys,  but  that  when 
used  by  men,  it  is  somehow  transformed  into  a  verit- 
able panacea,  must  be  apparent  to  all.  In  spite  of  this 
inconsistency,  not  a  few  individuals  maintain  that  to- 
bacco when  used  in  moderation  by  men  is  harmless, 
but  is  dangerous  to  boys  even  in  the  smallest  amounts. 
The  difficulty,  however,  seems  to  lie  in  their  interpreta- 
tion of  the  term  "harm".  Many  smokers  seem  to  con- 
sider that  no  injury  is  being  done  unless  the  system 
announces  it  in  tones  of  a  trumept.  They  want  the 
heart  to  break  down,  the  breathing  to  become  wheezy, 
or  the  eyesight  impaired  before  they  will  recognize  it 
as  "harm".  They  seem  to  forget  that  the  whole  genius 
of  modern  activity  is  based  upon  the  principle  of  pre- 
vention rather  than  that  of  cure.  Their  attitude  would 
postpone  the  adoption  of  sanitary  methods  until  the 
epidemic  had  appeared,  the  locking  of  the  jail  until  the 
prisoners  had  escaped,  and  the  closing  of  the  throttle 
until  the  train  had  been  wrecked. 

It  is  a  well  established  fact  that  the  use  of  tobacco 
by  even  the  strongest  men  is  often  accompanied  by  such 
disturbances  as  high  blood  pressure,  impaired  heart 
action  and  reduced  lung  capacity.  None  or  even  all 
of  these  may  be  sufficiently  pronounced  to  attract  atten- 


50  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

lion,  because  of  the  general  vigor  and  health  of  the 
body,  which  in  mature  man  is  so  constructed  that  a 
great  deal  of  abuse  may  be  imposed  long  before  the 
results  are  made  manifest.  Thousands  upon  thou- 
sands of  men  who  supposed  themselves  perfectly 
sound  have  first  learned  of  some  serious  ailment,  such 
as  weak  heart  or  impaired  lungs  upon  being  examined 
for  life  insurance  or  for  entrance  into  the  army.  The 
body  does  not  loudly  proclaim  its  troubles  until  after 
the  reserves  have  been  called  into  activity,  and  then 
only  when  defeat  is  apparent.  Most  smoking  grown- 
ups, however,  insist  that  this  must  be  done  before  they 
will  admit  injury  is  being  accomplished. 

The  competition  and  specialization  of  modern  times 
are  compelling  bankers,  manufacturers,  merchants , 
educators,  and  in  fact  leaders  in  every  field  of  activity, 
to  enquire  into  the  causes  of  inefficiency  among  men. 
No  investigation  touching  the  effect  of  tobacco  yet  has 
been  reported  in  which  it  has  not  been  shown  that 
tobacco  users  are  less  efficient  than  abstainers.  Physi- 
cians are  agreed  that  smokers  present  far  less  resist- 
ance to  disease  than  do  non-smokers.  Manufacturers 
are  beginning  to  see  that  tobacco  cuts  down  man's 
efficiency  both  with  respect  to  quality  and  quantity. 
Athletic  directors  universally  demand  abstinence  of  all 
participants.  Educators  have  demnostrated  beyond  all 
doubt  that  the  use  of  tobacco  is  associated  with  low 
scholarship.  Investigations  have  shown  that  even 
football  men  (considered  the  acme  of  physical  perfec- 
tion) who  use  tobacco  suffer  a  loss  of  practically  one- 
tenth  (9.49?  )  of  their  lung  capacity.     Tests  have  been 


ARE  MEN   [MMUNE?  51 

designed  recently  by  which  the  tobacco  user's  loss  in 
efficiency  can  actually  be  measured. 

The  testimonies  following,  representing  as  they  do, 
the  best  thought  in  practically  every  phase  of  human 
endeavor,  should  offer  a  sufficient  answer  to  the  ques- 
tion, "Are  men  immune?" 

Chancellor   David  Starr  Jordan,  says : 

"My  impression  is  that  anyone  using  tobacco  is  sub- 
ject to  a  material  lowering'  of  initiative  and  mental 
force,  this  lowering  depending  upon  the  age  at  which 
smoking  began,  the  amount  and  kind  of  smoking,  and 
especially  on  the  kind  of  intellectual  effort  the  person 
may  put  forth.  *  *  *  *  The  finer  the  man  in 
general  the  greater  the  injury.  Mr.  Harrison,  con- 
sidered the  leader  of  the  San  Francisco  Bar,  told  me 
lately  that  in  his  judgment  tobacco  had  been  a  greater 
source  of  injury  to  the  legal  profession  in  California 
than  liquor.  It  is  not  so  destructive  but  it  hits  better 
men.  So  far  as  I  know  tobacco  is  not  strictly  a  nar- 
cotic, which  would  be  bad  enough  because  a  man  ought 
to  be  awake  when  he  is  doing  a  waking  man's  work, 
but  rather  a  perpetual  irritant.  The  man  who  uses 
tobacco  and  enjoys  it,  is  only  feeling  at  the  time  of  this 
use  about  as  a  normal  man  feels  all  the  time.  At  other 
times  the  irritation  of  the  drug  causes  him  to  long 
for  it." 

Dr.  Edmund  Andrews,  Professor  of  Surgery,  North- 
western University  Medical  School,  Chicago: 

"There  is  no  scientific  basis  for  any  supposition  that 
after  sixteen  years  of  age  a  person  can  use  tobacco  with 
impunity.    Tt  is  bad  at  all  ages.    The  earlier  the  smoker 


52  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

begins  the  worse  for  him,  because  he  has  a  longer  time 
in  the  future  to  injure  himself.  The  nature  of  the 
injury  is  the  same." 

Dr.  T.  D.  Crothers,  Superintendent  of  Walunt  Lodge 
Hospital,  Hartford,  Conn. : 

"Accounts  of  persons  who  have  used  tobacco  for 
years  without  injury  are  found  on  examination  to  be 
untrue.  It  is  doubtful  if  any  person  who  uses  tobacco 
continuously  is  not  enfeebled  in  mind  and  body, 
although  the  damage  may  not  appear  from  a  casual 
examination." 

Wm.  H.  Allen,  Secretary  Bureau  of  Municipal  Re- 
search, New  York : 

"Less  harm  would  be  done  by  tobacco  if  it  were  more 
harmful.  Like  so  many  other  good  poisons,  its  use  in 
small  quantities  does  not  produce  the  prompt,  vivid, 
unequivocal  results  that  remove  all  doubt  as  to  the 
user's  injuries  and  intemperance.  As  inability  to  see 
the  physiological  effect  upon  himself  encourages  the 
tobacco  user  to  continue  smoking  or  chewing,  so  failure 
to  identify  evil  physiological  effects  upon  the  smoker 
encourages  the  non-user  to  begin  smoking  or  chewing. 
A  very  few  smokers  give  up  the  habit  because  they 
fear  its  results,  but  too  often  the  man  who  can  see  the 
evil  results  would  rather  give  up  almost  anything  else. 
The  one  motive  that  most  frequently  stops  inveterate 
smoking — fear — is  the  least  effective  motive  in  dis- 
suading  those  who  have  not  yet  acquired  the  habit; 
every  young  man,  unless  already  suffering  from  known 
heart  trouble,  thinks  he  will  smoke  moderately  and 
without  harm." 


ARE  MEN  IMMUNE?  53 

Charles  Wm.  Daleney,  President  University  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio : 

"Having  learned  to  smoke  as  a  freshman  at  college, 
as  most  young  men  in  the  country  did  in  my  time,  and 
having  had  a  struggle  with  it  for  some  fifteen  or  twenty 
years  before  giving  it  up,  I  am  in  a  position  to  give 
some  personal  testimony.  In  my  own  case  I  gave  up 
tobacco  completely  after  I  had  attained  middle  age  and 
I  know  I  have  enjoyed  much  better  health  and  am  able 
to  work  more  satisfactorily  and,  I  believe,  more  worth- 
ily since  I  did  so.  I  make  it  a  point  to  instruct  our 
young  men  with  regard  to  this  matter  regularly." 

Sometime  ago  Luther  Burbank,  the  great  American 
naturalist,  was  approached  by  one  of  his  foremen  and 
asked  if  he  was  familiar  with  the  habits  of  the  men  he 
had  been  discharging  because  of  inefficiency,  and  was 
astonished  to  learn  that  all  of  them  were  smokers. 
Further  investigation  convinced  him  of  the  inefficiency 
of  smokers,  and  in  consequence  he  no  longer  employs 
them  where  a  marked  degree  of  delicacy  or  close  dis- 
crimination is  required.  After  investigating  the  mat- 
ter he  announced  that 

"Even  men  who  smoke  one  cigar  a  day  cannot  be 
trusted  with  some  of  my  most  delicate  work." 

Chas.  B.  Towns,  Superintendent  of  Towns  Hos- 
pital, New  York: 

'"Tobacco  is  harmful  to  everyone  who  uses  it,  old  or 
young.  It  cannot  in  any  way  contribute  to  anyone's 
physical  or  mental  uplift.  '*  Some  men  are  not  so  sus- 
ceptible to  the  action  of  this  drug"  as  others ;  some  are 
more  economical  in  its  use,  and  in  the  way  in  which 


54  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

they  use  it.  The  reason  that  some  men  who  have  heen 
using  it  for  years  apparently  are  in  good  health  is  that 
they  are  just  a  little  harder  to  poison  than  others." 

Dr.  J.  H.  Kellogg'.  Superintendent  Battle  Creek  San- 
itarium, Michigan : 

"It  is  one  of  the  enigmas  of  modern  life  that  the 
average  business  man,  the  man  who  demands  the  high- 
est degree  of  efficiency  in  every  department  of  his  busi- 
ness, be  it  factory,  store,  or  office,  should  continue  to 
use  tobacco,  knowing  that  it  is  one  of  the  deadliest  of 
poisons  and  one  of  the  worst  of  all  enemies  of  mental 
power.  It  is  astonishing  that  his  business  sense,  his 
genius  for  economy,  should  permit  him  to  consume  so 
much  of  his  energy  in  a  perfectly  useless  and  harmful 
way.  Any  man  who  stops  to  study  himself,  who  in- 
quires into  the  means  by  which  he  can  conserve  his  vital 
energy  and  increase  his  efficiency,  discovers  that  the 
first  thing  to  do  is  to  raise  the  load  off  his  liver  and 
kidneys  and  other  organs ;  he  discovers  for  instance, 
that  the  work  which  his  lungs  are  required  to  do  in 
eliminating  nicotine  is  far  more  than  all  the  work  in- 
volved in  the  digestion  of  food  and  the  performance  of 
intellectual  labor,  and  if  he  is  a  wise  man.  he  will  drop 
immediately  the  use  of  tobacco." 

Smokers  who  try  to  console  themselves  by  arguing 
that  they  will  avoid  the  evil  effects  of  tobacco  by  using 
it  in  "moderation"  will  get  but  little  comfort  from  the 
following  statement  by  Edward  H.  Cleveland,  M.  A.. 
Chaplain  of  the  Riverside  Hospital : 

"An  unprejudiced  inquiry  into  the  mental  and  physi- 
ological effects  of  tobacco-smoking  establishes  the  con- 


ARE  MEN   IMMUNE?  55 

I 

viction  that  this  habit,  even  in  moderation,  is  definitely 
and  permanently  injurious  to  both  mind  and  body.  So 
many,  indeed,  are  the  scientific  facts  that  point  directly 
to  this  conclusion  that  it  is  difficult  to  select  the  most 
important  ones.  *****  \ye  are  not  speak- 
ing of  excessive  use,  but  of  moderate  use,  be  it  noted. 
Aside  from  the  well-known  principle  that  moderate  use 
leads  to  excess,  and  always  tends  in  that  direction,  as 
experience  abundantly  proves,  no  one  defends  the  ex- 
cessive use  or  abuse  of  tobacco.  Not  a  single  advocate 
or  apologist  for  its  use  will  venture  to  claim  that  the 
excessive  use  is  benefiicial.  All  agree  that  tobacco  is 
a  poison,  to  be  used  in  moderation,  if  at  all.  This 
article  is  written  to  remind  its  readers  of  the  very  sim- 
ple proposition  that  the  habitual  smoking  of  tobacco  in 
moderation  will,  if  given  time  enough,  produce  similar 
results  in  the  heart,  brain,  stomach,  lungs  and  other 
vital  organs  to  those  brought  about  more  rapidly  by 
smoking  to  excess." 

Dr.  Harvey  W.  Wiley,  perhaps  America's  chie^  au- 
thority on  foods,  has  this  to  say  concerning  the  use  of 
tobacco  by  grown-ups : 

"Of  those  of  maturer  years  I  ask,  'Is  the  comfort 
which  the  use  of  tobacco  gives  real  happiness  ?'  T  an- 
swer, 'No,  it  is  illusory'.  A  man  should  so  order  his 
activities  that  he  needs  no  comforter  except  wholesome 
food,  illuminating  literature,  a  fond  family,  and  a  pro- 
gressive community.  He  who  has  to  seek  consolation 
in  a' drug  is  going  wrong.  There  is  something  out  of 
condition  in  his  make-up.  He  has  a  false  view  of  life. 
Happiness  consists  in  accomplishment,  contentment,  in 


56  TOBACCO    AND    111  .MAX    EFFICIENCY 

satisfaction  with  the  environment,  not  in  Lethean  pas- 
sivity. There  is  no  place  in  the  normal  life  for  an 
illusory  delight  nor  a  drug-provoked  content.  Tobacco 
never  has  brought  and  never  will  bring  any  real  happi- 
ness to  humanity." 

It  has  been  pointed  out  in  another  section  that  even 
the  most  nearly  physically  perfect  men  of  America 
(football  men)  are  seriously  injured  by  the  use  of  to- 
bacco. If  the  best  men  are  injured  by  its  use,  then 
certainly  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  rest  of  us  are 
not  immune. 


VII 

TOBACCO  AND  ALCOHOL 

By  no  means  every  tobacco  user  is  a  user  of  alcohol, 
but  on  the  other  hand  practically  every  alcohol  user  is 
a  user  of  tobacco.  The  universality  of  this  association 
is  shown  by  the  following"  statement  of  Charles  B. 
Towns,  head  of  the  Towns  Hospital  for  the  treat- 
ment of  drug  users :  "For  years  I  have  been  dealing 
with  alcoholism  and  morphinism,  have  gone  into  their 
every  phase  and  aspect,  have  kept  careful  and  minute 
details  of  between  six  and  seven  thousand  cases,  and  I 
have  never  seen  a  case,  except  occasionally  with  women, 
which  did  not  have  a  history  of  excessive  tobacco."  A 
moment's  reflection  should  convince  anyone  of  the  in- 
timate association  of  these  two  drug'  habits,  if  not  a 
short  visit  to  an  ordinary  saloon  will  furnish  ample 
proof. 

There  seem  to  be  two  general  reasons  that  the  use  of 
tobacco  frequently  leads  to  the  use  of  alcohol,  first,  its 
social  aspect,  and,  second,  its  physiological  action.  The 
use  of  tobacco  among  boys  encourages  clandestine  prac- 
tices. It  carries  them  into  the  rougher  elements  of 
society.  Cigarette  smoking  boys  are  not  likely  to  re- 
main home  at  night,  attend  church  and  otherwise  live 
the  higher  life.  On  the  contrary  the  habit  of  smoking" 
is  commonly  acquired  when  boys  and  young  men  are 
awav  from  the  jurisdiction  of  their  parents.  No  one 
ever  learned  to  smoke  at  church  or  in  the  broad  day- 


58  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

light  of  Christian  society.  It  carries  both  boys  and 
men  into  kinds  of  society  which  non-smokers  would 
have  no  reason  for  entering. 

Among  grown-ups  the  use  of  tobacco  encourages  at- 
tendance at  clubs  and  "busts"  and  lessens  the  attrac- 
tion of  the  home.  Non-smokers  have  no  desire  to  be 
present  at  places  filled  with  the  fumes  of  tobacco.  At 
club  banquets,  late  night  parties  and  similar  functions 
tobacco  and  alcoholic  liquors  almost  always  go  to- 
gether. The  life  of  the  smoker  is  very  naturally  inter- 
woven with  the  serving  of  strong  drinks. 

Tn  the  second  place  the  physiological  changes  brought 
on  by  the  tise  of  tobacco  call  for  something  stronger  to 
soothe  the  damaged  tissues.  Dr.  G.  Stanley  Hall. 
President  of  Clark  University,  explains  that :  "The 
basis  of  intemperance  is  the  effort  to  secure  through 
drugs  the  feeling  of  happiness  when  happiness  does  not 
exist.  There  are  many  drugs  which  cause  this  pleasure, 
and  in  proportion  to  the  delight  they  seem  to  give  is  the 
real  mischief  they  work.  *  *  *  *  Alcohol  gives 
a  feeling  of  warmth  or  vigor  or  exhilaration  when  the 
real  warmth  or  vigor  or  exhilaration  does  not  exist. 
Tobacco  gives  a  feeling  of  rest  which  is  not  restfulness. 
One  and  all,  the  various  drugs  tend  to  give  the  impres- 
sion  of  a  power  or  a  pleasure  or  an  activity  which  we 
do  not  possess.  One  and  all.  their  function  is  to  force 
the  nervous  system  to  lie.  One  and  all,  the  result  of 
their  habitual  use  is  to  render  the  nervous  system  in- 
capable of  ever  telling  the  truth.  One  and  all,  their 
supposed  pleasures  are  followed  by  a  reaction  of  sub- 


TOBACCO   AND  ALCOHOL  59 

jective  pains  as  spurious  and  as  unreal  as  the  pleasures 
which  they  follow." 

Of  the  manner  in  which  the  use  of  tobacco  leads  to 
the  use  of  alcoholic  beverages  Dr.  John  D.  Quadcenbos, 
Emeritus  Professor  in  Columbia  University,  says: 
"The  first  effect  of  tobacco  is  stimulating,  with  a  rise 
of  blood-pressure.  Sedative  effects  follow  with  a  fall 
of  blood-pressure,  and  if  smoking  is  continued  the 
nerves  are  depressed.  The  depression  is  stimulative  in 
the  system  of  the  smoker,  and  after  varying  intervals 
of  days,  weeks  or  months,  it  creates  an  instinctive  de- 
mand for  the  antidote  to  tobacco  poisoning,  and  that  is 
alcohol.  The  intemperate  use  of  tobacco  thus  explains 
seventy-five  per  cent  of  all  drink  habit  cases.  The 
alcohol  thirst  is  engendered  and  inflamed  by  tobacco." 

The  interchangeability  of  habit-forming  drugs  is  a 
recognized  truth  in  the  treatment  of  drug  users.  Of 
this  Dr.  Kellogg  has  the  following  to  say :  "The  fact 
that  these  drugs  are  often  used  in  place  of  one  another 
is  well  known.  The  writer  has  found  a  number  of 
cases  in  which  alcohol  and  morphine  have  been  thus 
employed.  In  a  case  of  chronic  alcoholism  in  a  woman 
of  sixty-six  years  of  age,  a  large  quantity  of  coffee  had 
become  a  ready  substitute  for  alcohol  whenever  the 
latter  was  lacking.  The  same  fact  has  been  found  in 
the  matter  of  alcohol  and  tobacco.  In  a  number  of 
cases,  patients  addicted  to  the  two  drugs  could  igve  up 
alcohol  without  any  inconvenience  provided  that  to- 
bacco were  furnished  them  in  sufficient  quantities." 

There  is  probably  no  greater  living  authority  on  the 
causation    of    drug    habits    than    Charles    R    Towns. 


(.(i  TOBACCO  AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

who  says :  "I  am  prepared  to  say  that  for  the  phlegm- 
atic man,  for  the  man  temporarily  moderate,  for  the 
outdoor  laborer,  whose  physical  exercise  tends  to  coun- 
teract "the  effects  of  the  tobacco  and  the  alcohol  he  uses 
■ — in  short,  for  all  men,  tobacco  is  an  unfavorable  factor 
which  pre-disposes  to  worse  habits.  A  boy  always 
starts  smoking  before  he  starts  drinking.  If  he  is  dis- 
posed to  drink,  that  disposition  wTill  be  increased  by 
smoking,  because  the  action  of  tobacco  makes  it  normal 
for  him  to  feel  the  need  of  stimulation.  He  is  likely 
to  go  to  alcohol  to  soothe  the  muscular  unrest,  to  blunt 
the  irritation  he  received  from  tobacco.  From  alcohol 
he  goes  to  morphine  for  the  same  reason.  The  nervous 
condition  due  to  excessive  drinking  is  allayed  by  mor- 
phine, just  as  the  various  conditions  due  to  excessive 
smoking  are  allayed  by  alcohol.  Morphine  is  the  legiti- 
mate consequence  of  alcohol,  and  alcohol  is  the  legiti- 
mate consequence  of  tobacco.  Cigarettes,  drink,  opium, 
is  the  logical  and  regular  series." 

"The  man  predisposed  to  alcohol  by  inheritance  of 
nervous  temoerament  will,  if  he  uses  tobacco  at  all. 
almost  invariably  use  it  to  excess;  and  this  excess 
creates  a  restlessness  for  which  alcohol  is  the  natural 
antidote.  The  experience  of  any  type  of  man  is  that  if 
he  takes  a  drink  when  he  feels  that  he  has  smoked  too 
much,  he  finds  he  can  at  once  start  smoking  all  over 
aeain.  For  that  reason,  the  two  go  together,  the 
neurotic  tvne  of  man  too  often  combines  the  two.  To- 
bacco  thus  developes  the  necessity  for  alcohol.'' 

"Again,  most  men  who  have  used  alcohol  to  excess. 
if  restricted  voluntarily  <>r  involuntarily,  will  use  to- 


I  I  >BACCO   AND    \1.<  ( >HOL  61 

bacco  to  excess.  This  excess  in  tobacco  produces  a 
narcotic  effect  which  temporarily  blunts  the  craving  for 
alcohol.  Another  way  of  saying  the  same  thing  is  that 
when  smokers  are  drunk  they  no  longer  care  to  smoke, 
a  fact  that  is  a  matter  of  common  observation.  This 
means  that  there  is  a  nervous  condition  produced  alike 
by  alcohol  and  tobacco.  When  a  man  gets  it  from 
drinking,  he  does  not  keep  on  trying  to  get  it  from 
smoking.  As  well  as  reacting  upon  each  other,  the 
two  habits  keep  each  other  going.  It  is  not  altogether 
by  hap-hazard  association  that  saloons  also  sell  cigars : 
they  sell  them  for  the  same  reason  that  they  give  away 
pretzels — to  make  a  man  buy  more  drinks/' 

Of  the  same  close  relationship  between  alcohol  and 
tobacco  Dr.  J.  H.  Kellogg  says: 

"What  I  would  especially  emphasize  is  the  fact  that 
the  physiological  effects  of  tobacco  are  such  that  they 
give  birth  to  a  special  craving  for  alcoholic  drinks  and 
create  a  demand  for  the  antidotal  effects  temporarily 
produced  through  alcohol.  Perhaps  one  of  the  most 
characteristic  effects  of  tobacco  is  the  excitation  of  the 
vasco-constrictor  produced  by  it,  as  appears  from  the 
extreme  pallor  of  the  skin.  Alcohol,  on  the  contrary, 
produces,  in  moderate  doses,  a  totally  opposite  effect. 
The  smoker's  throat  is  dry,  he  feels  thirsty,  a  general 
mental  depression,  possibly  some  dizziness ;  a  single  ex- 
perience is  enough  to  convince  him,  that  beer,  wine  or 
whisky  or  alcohol  in  any  other  form  very  rapidly  re- 
lieves these  alarming  symptoms,  hence  a  very  natural 
association  of  cigars  with  wine  or  beer.  The  consumer 
of  these  two  drugs,  taking  them    alternately    assures 


62  TOBACCO    AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

himself  of  the  repetition  of  agreeable  sensations  for  a 
long  time  after  tobacco  alone  has  ceased  to  produce 
proper  enjoyment." 

Authorities  seem  to  agree  that  the  proper  treatment 
and  care  of  alcoholism  is  impossible  as  long  as  the 
patient  insists  upon  using  tobacco.  Mr.  Towns  says: 
"It  is  very  significant  that  in  dealing  with  alcoholism  no 
real  reform  can  be  expected  if  the  patient  does  not  give 
up  tobacco,"  a  statement  with  which  Dr.  Kellogg  is 
apparently  in  full  accord,  as  shown  by  the  following : 
"For  twenty  years  I  have  refused  to  undertake  the 
treatment  of  cases  of  alcoholism,  without  also  prescrib- 
ing as  a  preliminary  the  abandonment  of  tobacco." 

Judge  Lindsay,  regarded  as  an  authority  on  Juvenile 
Court  Problems,  says : 

"One  of  the  very  worst  habits  of  boyhood  is  the 
cigarette  habit.  This  lias  long  been  recognized  by  all 
the  judges  of  the  courts  who  deal  with  young  criminals 
and  especially  by  judges  of  police  courts,  before  whom 
pass  thousands  of  men  every  year  who  are  addicted 
to  intemperate  habits.  These  judges  know  that  in 
nearly  every  case  the  drunken  sots  who  appear  before 
them,  a  disgrace  to  their  parents,  themselves  and  the 
state,  began  as  boys  smoking  cigarettes.  ( )ne  bad 
habit  led  to  another.  The  nicotine  and  poison  in  the 
cigarette  created  an  appetite  for  alcoholic  drink.  The 
cigarette  habit  not  only  had  a  grip  upon  them  in  boy- 
hood, but  invited  all  the  other  demons  of  habit  to  come 
in  and  add  to  the  degradation  that  the  cigarette  began." 

No  one  will  question  the  authority  of  Dr.  \V.  S.  Hall, 


TOBACCO   AND   ALCOHOL  63 

Protessor  of  Physiology  of  the  Northwestern  Medical 
School.     He  says : 

"The  use  of  tobacco  paves  the  way  to  other  dissipa- 
tion by  requiring  a  compensating-  stimulant  to  over- 
come its  sedative  effect  and  by  making  the  common 
wholesome  foods  taste  insipid  and  flat.  A  vast  ma- 
jority of  drunkards  were  smokers  before  they  were 
drinkers.  The  mental  attitude  and  lack  of  resistance 
which  permits  a  man  to  smoke  is  likely  also  to  permit 
other  forms  of  dissipation." 

Again  we  quote  Towns : 

"Tf  any  one  thinks  that  China  is  the  gainer  by  sub- 
stituting the  one  drug  habit  for  the  other,  I  beg  leave 
to  differ  with  him.  The  opium  smoker  smokes  in  pri- 
vate with  other  smokers,  and  is  hence  not  offensive  to 
other  people.  He  is  not  injuring  non-smokers  or 
arousing  the  curiosity  of  boys  or  polluting  the  atmos- 
phere, or  creating  a  craving  in  others.  In  the  West 
the  opium  habit  is  generally  condemned  because  the 
West  is  able  to  look  with  a  new  and  unbiased  view  on 
a  drug  habit  that  is  not  its  own.  I  consider  that  cigar- 
ette smoking  is  the  greatest  vice  devastating  humanity 
today,  because  it  is  doing  more  than  any  other  vice  to 
deteriorate  the  race.  The  more  you  compare  smoking 
and  drinking  and  drugging,  the  more  resemblances  you 
see.  Opium,  like  tobacco  and  alcohol,  ceases  to  stimu- 
late the  moment  the  effect  of  it  is  felt ;  it  then  becomes 
a  narcotic.  The  history  of  the  three  as  a  resort  in  an 
'emergency  is  precisely  the  same.  At  the  time  when 
the  average  man  feels  that  he  needs  his  faculties  most. 
he  will,  if  addicted  to  any  of  the  three,  deliberatelv  seek 


64  TOBACCO    AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

stimulation  from  it.  He  does  not  intend  to  go  on  long- 
enough  to  get  the  narcotic  effect,  since  that  would  be 
clearly  defeating  his  own  aims,  he  means  to  stop  with 
the  stimulant  and  sedative  effect,  but  that  he  is  unable 
to  do.  The  inhaler  of  tobacco  gets  his  effect  in  pre- 
cisely the  same  way  that  the  opium  smoker  gets  his — 
the  rapid  absorption  by  the  tissues  of  the  bronchial 
tubes.  It  may  be  news  to  the  average  man  to  hear  that 
the  man  who  smokes  opium  moderately  suffers  no  more 
physical  deterioration  than  the  man  who  inhales  tobacco 
moderately.  The  excessive  smoker  of  cigarettes  ex- 
periences the  same  mental  and  physical  disturbance" 
when  deprived  of  them  that  the  opium-smoker  experi- 
ences when  deprived  of  opium.  The  medical  treatment 
which  is  necessary  to  bring  out  a  physiological  change 
in  order  to  destroy  the  craving  is  the  same.  The  effect 
of  giving  up  the  habit  is  the  same— cessation  of  similar 
physical  and  nervous  and  mental  disturbances,  gain  in 
bodily  weight  and  energy,  and  a  desire  for  physical  ex- 
ercise. A  like  comparison,  item  for  item,  may  be  made 
with  alcohol,  but  it  is  the  similarity  with  opium  whch  I 
wish  particularly  to  emphasize  here." 

Tobacco  is  bad  enoueh  of  itself,  but  when  its  use 
leads  to  even  more  objectionable  practices  with  all  their 
demoralizing  tendencies,  it  certainlv  deserves  serious 
consideration  on  the  part  of  the  thinking  public. 


VIII 

TOBACCO  AND  DISEASE 

Tobacco  as  a  Predisposing  Factor. — Few  inves- 
tigators would  be  willing  to  state  that  the  various  dis- 
eases and  weaknesses  commonly  associated  with  the  use 
of  tobacco  are  actually  inherited  by  offspring,  but  all 
aoe  agreed  that  weak  debilitated  parents  cannot  give 
rise  to  robust  healthy  children.  •  Civilization  is  rapidly 
c  uning  to  learn  that  the  physical  weaknesses  of  one 
generation  not  uncommonly  reappear  in  the  next.  The 
commercial  application  of  this  truth  can  be  seen  in  the 
operation  of  life  insurance  companies,  who  are  very 
slow  to  accept  applicants  whose  parents  have  exhibited 
pronounced  constitutional  disorders.  The  new  science 
of  eugenics  is  based  upon  the  old  truth  that  like  begets 
like. 

It  would  not  be  safe  to  state  that  a  smoking-parent, 
who  himself  has  acquired  consumption  because  of  the 
use  of  tobacco,  will  actually  transmit  the  disease  to  his 
children,  yet  it  is  known  that  such  children  are  especially 
predisposed  toward  it,  and  sooner  or  later  are  likely  to 
develop  it.  In  other  words  the  lungs  and  general  re- 
sistance of  such  children  are  so  greatly  impaired  that 
when  the  germs  of  tuberculosis  appear  they  encounter 
but  little  resistance  to  their  rapid  development.  It 
seems  to  be  true  that  weaknesses,  but  not  actual  di- 
seases, may  be  inherited.  Upon  this  subject,  however, 
the  future  development  of  science  will  give  us  greater 
light.     In  our  present  consideration,  the  final  answer 

6 


66  TOBACCO   AND   HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

matters  hut  little,  as  in  either  case  the  practical  results 
are  virtually  identical.  At  any  rate  it  appears  to  he 
quite  generally  admitted  that  the  descendants  of  in- 
veterate tobacco  users  suffer  abnormally  from  a  variety 
of  diseases,  and,  as  just  noted,  it  matters  little  whether 
they  are  derived  through  inheritance  or  predisposition. 
j  The  practical  application  of  this  matter  is  two-fold: 
the  excessive  use  of  tobacco  not  only  breaks  down  the 
health  of  the  one  participating,  but  it  incapacitates  him 
to  such  an  extent  that  he  gives  rise  to  physically  in- 
ferior offspringj/  Scientific  findings  show  that  immun- 
ity from  disease  depends  almost  exclusively  upon  bodily 
resistance.  The  germs  of  disease  make  their  attacks 
upon  all  types  of  people  alike.  In  some  cases  they 
are  met  by  strong  resistance  and  quickly  overcome,  and 
in  others  they  themselves  become  victors  because  of 
the  feeble  resistance  offered  to  their  development. 
Anything,  therefore,  that  impairs  bodily  resistance  in- 
creases to  the  same  extent  the  ravages  of  disease. 

It  should  be  no  wonder,  therefore,  that  tobacco  users 
are  much  more  susceptible  to  disease  than  are  the  non- 
users.  In  another  section  it  has  been  shown  that  to- 
bacco impairs  practically  every  vital  organ  of  the  body, 
including  prominently  the  heart  and  the  lungs.  Tem- 
perate users  commonly  argue  that  in  their  cases  the 
injury  is  not  sufficient  to  enhance  the  possibilities  of 
disease,  and  among  such  are  a  great  many  physicians 
and  others  who  ought  to  know  better.  Tt  is  an  incontro- 
vertable  fact,  moreover,  that  the  reduction  of  bodily 
resistance,  no  matter  how  slight,  proportionately  in- 
creases the  spread  of  disease.     The  opinion  entertained 


TOBACC*  )   AXI)    DISEASE  67 

by  smokers  to  the  effect  that  the  temperate  use  of  to- 
bacco entails  no  danger,  is  absolutely  without  scientific 
foundation.  The  great  battle  of  life  against  disease  and 
death  is  successful  just  in  proportion  to  the  resistance 
offered.  Increase  of  resistance  will  be  followed  by  longer 
and  healthier  lives,  while  reduction  will  always  be  fol- 
lowed by  the  opposite. 

Many  prominent  thinkers  are  alarmed  at  what  they 
believe   to   be  a   continuous   deterioration   of  physical 
standards.      Prominent  among  such  writers  is  Elmer 
E.   Rittenhouse,   President  of  the  Life  Extension  In- 
stitute, who,  in  recently  speaking  upon  this  subject,  is 
quoted  as  saying:     "There  are  plenty  of  people  who 
will  say  that  they  have  noted  no  such  tendency,  but  we 
cannot  depend  upon  our  observation  in  our  own  en- 
vironment   for   such   information.      Nor   must   we   at- 
tempt to  judge  the  trend  in  the  nation  by  our  obser- 
vations in  an}-  one  class  of  people.     We  must  take  the 
American  people  as  a  body.     And  when  we  do  this  we 
find  the  resisting  power  of  the  heart,  arteries,  and  kid- 
neys, which  work  incessantly  from  birth  to  the  grave, 
has  steadily  declined.    These  organs  are  breaking  down 
and  giving  away  too  soon.     The  increase  in  mortality 
in  three  decades  from  these  causes  has  been  about  100 
per  cent,  and  it  is  confined  to  no  particular  class  or 
element    of   the    population.      It    is    increasing    every- 
where." 

The  influence  of  tobacco  in  predisposing  to  disease 
can  be  judged  by  the  following  statements  selected 
from  among  the  world's  most  prominent  students  of 
this  subject : 


68  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

The  London  Lancet  quotes  the  noted  Dr.  Piddock  as 

saying:  "In  no  instance  is  the  sin  of  the  father  more 
strikingly  visited  upon  his  children  than  in  the  sin  of 
tobacco-using.  The  enervation,  the  hypochrodirasis, 
hysteris,  the  insanity,  the  dwarfish  deformities,  the 
consumption,  the  suffering  lives,  and  the  early 
deaths  of  children  of  inveterate  smokers  bear  ample 
testimony  to  the  feebleness  and  unsoundness  of  consti- 
tution transmitted  by  this  pernicious  habit." 

Dr.  Charles  G.  Pease,  President  of  the  Non-smokers' 
Protective  League,  is  quoted  as  saying:  "The  use  of 
tobacco  is  responsible  more  than  any  other  one  factor 
for  race  degeneracy.  It  is  the  most  poisonous  plant 
grown,  and  its  active  principle  the  most  poisonous  alka- 
loid, harmfully  and  deeply  affecting  the  delicate  proto- 
plasm of  the  tissue  cells,  unfitting  the  user  of  it  to  be  a 
propagator  of  the  human  race,  robbing  his  own  chil- 
dren of  the  right  to  normality." 

Dr.  D.  H.  Kress  who  has  recently  become  well- 
known  because  of  his  success  in  fighting  the 
tobacco  habit,  says :  "From  the  use  of  tobacco, 
most  of  our  young  men  are  physical  degenerates.  A 
few  years  ago  England  was  startled  by  the  announce- 
ment that  out  of  12,000  men  that  appeared  for  exam- 
ination at  Manchester,  9,000  had  to  be  rejected  as 
physically  unfit  for  army  service.  'They  had  come  to 
us  with  their  fingers  stained  with  nicotine,'  the  ex- 
aminer said.  A  few  years  later,  when  the  call  was 
made  for  young  physicians  to  enter  the  United  States 
army,  80  per  cent  were  rejected  as  unfit,  owing  to  what 
was  pronounced  tobacco  heart.     These  represented  the 


TOBACCO   AND   DISEASE  69 

choicest  young  men  these  countries  could  produce.  If 
three-fourths  of  the  young'  men  are  unfit  for  army  ser- 
vice, they  are  certainly  unfit  to  assume  the  responsi- 
bilities of  propagators  of  a  fit  race."  And  again: 
"The  prevalence  of  heart-disease  among  the  young  men 
has  increased  more  than  300  per  cent  within  the  last 
few  decades.  Tobacco  and  beer  are  considered  the 
cause  of  this  alarming  degeneracy.  A  similar  condi- 
tion exists  in  America.  It  will  be  recalled  that  out  of 
67  applicants  who  appeared  for  examination  to  enter 
the  medical  department  of  the  United  States  Army  in 
1902.  43  (nearly  two-thirds)  were  rejected,  having 
what  the  doctors  pronounced  'tobacco  heart.'  This  is 
especially  significant  when  we  bear  in  mind  that  those 
who  applied  were  young  men  who  considered  them- 
selves in  the  pink  of  health.  That  such  a  condition  ex- 
ists in  our  most  highly  civilized  countries  is  certainly 
sufficient  reason  for  alarm,  and  should  lead  to  a  careful 
investigation  of  its  causes  with  a  view  to  correcting 
them.  To  ascertain  the  real  injury  to  the  race  from 
such  a  habit,  we  must  necessarily  go  to  the  third  and 
fourth  generation.  We  have  reached  that  time,  as  the 
results  of  the  tobacco  habit  are  now  manifest.  As  Sir 
Benjamin  Brodie  says,  'No  evils  are  so  manifestly  vis- 
ited upon  the  third  and  fourth  generations  as  the  evils 
which  spring  from  the  use  of  tobacco.'  Owing  to  the 
rapid  decline  of  the  race,  special  attention  has  of  recent 
years  been  called  by  leading  medical  men,  scientists, 
religious  teachers,  and  commisions  appointed  by  vari- 
ous nations  for  the  purpose  of  investigating  the  causes 
of  the  almost  universal  physical,  intellectual,  and  moral 


70  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

degeneracy,  to  the  fact  that  tobacco  is  responsible  for 
what  has.  in  the  past,  been  attributed  to  other  causes." 

The  following  statement  is  taken  from  Dr.  Charles 
E.  Slocum's  book.  Tobacco  and  Its  Deleterious  Ef- 
fects: "The  deep  defects  produced  by  tobacco  on  the 
generative  system  perniciously  affect  the  germ  plasm 
and  germ  cells  and  cannot  but  show  blight,  more  or 
less,  in  the  children  that  may  be  born  of  parents  ad- 
dicted to  this  vice.  Tobacco,  in  some  ways,  even  more 
than  the  alcoholic-beverage  habit,  touches  forcibly  the 
nerve  centers,  the  medulla  oblongata,  the  spinal  center, 
the  generative  center,  and  the  great  sympathetic  nerve 
centers,  leaving  therein  its  trail  of  debility,  defects, 
and  degeneration,  all. of  which  affections  are  in  line  of 
transmission  to  posterity."  i 

Tobacco  and  Recovery  from  Disease.  Tobacco 
is  now  known  to  attack  practically  every  part  of  the 
human  body  both  functionally  and  organically.'  Its 
use  is  not  uncommonly  associated  with  a  long  list  of 
maladies  including  arteriosclerosis,  cancer  of  the  mouth 
and  tongue,  tuberculosis,  heart  disease,  stomach  trouble. 
nervousness,  etc.  Without  doubt  a  great  many  indi- 
viduals die  of  some  of  these  specific  diseases  brought 
on  by  the  use  of  tobacco,  yet  at  the  same  time  a  much 
larger  number  succumb  where  tobacco  is  only  a  con- 
tributory cause. 

The  reason  for  the  heavy  death  rate  among  those 
addicted  to  tobacco  is  thought  to  be  primarily  due  to 
reduction  of  vital  resistance.  Tt  should  be  remembered 
that  all  patients  die  or  recover  from  disease  depending 
almost  exclusively  upon  the  nature  of  the  fight  which 


TOBACCO   AND    DISEASE  71 

the  body  is  prepared  to  present.  A  case  in  point  will 
make  this  matter  clear.  Two  acquaintances  of  the 
writer  were  recently  sent  to  a  hospital  because  of  ap- 
pendicitis. Both  were  large  robust  men  of  the  type 
which  should  live  to  seventy  or  beyond.  One  was  a 
smoker  and  the  other  a  non-smoker.  Each  was  found 
to  be  suffering  from  a  pus  case.  The  smoker  died  and 
the  non-smoker  recovered.  So  far  as  could  be  observed 
the  two  cases  were  of  about  equal  severity,  and,  there- 
fore, the  resistance  which  each  patient  was  prepared 
to  offer  constituted  the  principal  determining  factor. 
The  one  who  recovered  did  so  because  his  bodily  re- 
sistance was  sufficient  to  overcome  the  poisonous  pus 
attacks,  and  the  other  died  because  of  insufficient  vi- 
tality. The  death  of  the  smoker  was  officially  charged 
to  appendicitis,  while  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  directly 
due  to  tobacco  poisoning.  //  should  be  borne  in  mind 
that  when  a  man  dies  say  five  to  ten  years  before  he 
would  normally  do  so,  because  of  the  use  of  tobacco, 
he  is  killed  by  the  poison  just  as  really  as  though  he 
had  died  at  the  time  of  his  first  indulgence. 

Defenders  of  tobacco  state  that  the  human  body 
gradually  adjusts  itself  to  the  use  of  this  substance, 
and  finally  establishes  a  complete  immunity  to  it.  They 
argue  that  if  tobacco  were  really  as  poisonous  as  its 
opponents  assert,  cases  of  tobacco  poisoning  would  be 
much  more  frequent.  "Xow.  in  the  first  place  the 
human  body  does  not  set  up  an  immunity  against  this 
poison.  The  working  principle  of  Ehrlich's  bacterial 
theory  does  not  apply  to  tobacco.  The  body  does  not 
establish  an  immunity  against  this  poison  in  anything 


72  rOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

like  the  same  sense  as  it  dees  against  bacteria]  toxins. 
It  is  true,  however,  that  the  body  does  seem  to  accomo- 
date itself  to  increasing  doses,  but  this  is  primarily  due 
to  the  blunting  of  the  initial  resistance  and  to  the  oper- 
ation of  the  marvelous  factor  of  safety  with  which 
nature  is  so  richly  endowed.  Then,  finally,  very  large 
numbers  of  smokers  do  die  of  tobacco  poisoning,  whose 
deaths  arc  nozv  attributed  to  other  causes. 

The  use  of  tobacco,  therefore,  reduces  the  length  of 
life  and  increases  the  death  rate  in  two  ways:  first, 
by  fostering  predisposition  to  a  long  list  of  specific 
maladies,  and,  second,  by  lowering  the  general  bodily 
resistance  to  such  an  extent  that  death  results  where 
otherwise  the  patient  would  get  well.  While  the  number 
of  deaths  from  specific  diseases  among  tobacco  users 
is  nothing  short  of  appalling,  yet  those  resulting  from 
impaired  resistance  are  without  question  incomparably 
greater. 

The  exact  extent  to  which  tobacco  is  increasing  the 
death  rate  it  as  present  not  known.  Many  observers 
believe  that  its  effect  is  quite  as  serious  as  that  of  al- 
cohol, primarily  because  of  its  greater  consumption 
than  the  latter  and  the  less  serious  manner  in  which 
the  public  in  general  regards  it.  The  use  of  alcohol 
reduces  life  to  nearly  three-fourths  of  its  normal  length. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  tobacco  does  not  reach  the  alarm- 
ing standard  set  by  this  its  close  associate,  hut  when  its 
exact  position  is  definitely  known  it  will  probably  not  he 
found   far  distant. 

Tobacco  and  Specific  Diseases. — Cancer. — Of 
recent   years  it  has  been  shown  that  the  constant  irri- 


TOBACCO  AND    DISEASE  73 

tation  of  the  lips  and  tongue  induced  by  the  use  of  to- 
bacco is  not  uncommonly  followed  by  cancer  in  these 
parts.  In  some  cases  this  condition  seems  to  result 
largely  if  not  wholly  from  mechanical  causes  and  is 
independent  of  the  chemical  constituents,  while  in 
others  the  irritating  action  of  the  drugs  appears  to  lie 
at  the  base  of  the  trouble.  Smokers  seem  to  derive 
a  considerable  part  of  their  enjoyment  through  moving 
about  between  their  lips  the  cigar,  cigarette  or  pipe. 
This  is  particularly  so  in  case  of  cigar  smokers.  This 
constant  irritation  sooner  or  later  gives  rise  to  pro- 
nounced callouses  upon  the  lips  and  tongue,  a  condition 
from  which  very  few  old  smokers  are  entirely  free. 
l"he  final  appearance  of  cancer  can  ordinarily  be  avoid- 
ed if  the  subject  abandons  the  tobacco  habit  immedi- 
ately upon  the  first  appearance  of  any  hardening  of 
these  organs.  It  is  of  course  true  that  many  tobacco 
'users  produce  marked  callosities  upon  the  tongue 
and  lips  without  subsequently  suffering  from  this 
deadly  disease.  Science,  however,  of  recent  years,  has 
observed  a  marked  increase  of  cancer  "among  smokers. 
Dr.  Robert  Abbe,  senior  surgeon  to  Saint  Luke's 
Hospital,  New  York  City,  recently  contributed  a 
special  article  to  the  Medical  Record  in  which  he  de- 
scribed the  malignant  diseases  of  the  tongue  and  mouth. 
In  summarizing  the  causation  of  these  cancerous 
growths  he  says:  "The  charge  against  nicotine  is  the 
most  serious  in  the  calendar.  It  is  extremely  rare  to 
question  a  patient  with  advanced  cancer  of  the  mouth 
and  not  find  that  he  has  been  a  severe  smoker  or  has 
chewed  tobacco.    If  the  question  is  answered  evasively 


74  TOBACCO   AND    I  UMAX    EFFICIENCY 

or  if  he  admits  only  gentle  nse  of  tobacco,  his  wife  will 
usually  come  to  your  rescue  and  say  that  he  either  puts 
in  a  little  chewing  tobacco  when  he  rises  and  takes  out 
a  little  when  he  goes  to  bed,  or  that  he  smokes  pipes 
or  cigars  habitually.  This  close  relation  with  nicotine 
was  emphasized  by  Butlin  and  has  been  widely  believed 
in.  I  rind  complete  corroboration  in  my  own  exper- 
ience and  have  come  to  regard  excessive  and  contin- 
uous use  of  nicotine  as  a  great  risk  to  susceptible  tis- 
sues. It  is  usually  after  twenty  or  thirty  years  that  the 
beginning  of  an  epithelioma  shows  and  insiduously 
.advances.  Most  often  it  starts  either  at  the  contact 
points  of  the  pipe,  or  streams  of  hot  smoke  on  the 
tongue,  or  in  the  gutters  where  the  nicotine  lies  in  the 
mouth  or  where  the  quid  rests  between  the  cheek  and 
gum.  'Smoker's  tongue'  is  a  legitimate  name  for  this 
ill-starred  malady.  One  of  the  most  threatening  epi- 
theliomas of  the  gums  which  T  was  fortunate  enough 
to  cure  by  radium,  was  in  a  young  lady,  who  for  years 
had  been  an  inveterate  smoker  of  cigarettes." 

The  same  authority  says  further: 

"Last  July  I  published  a  review  of  100  cases  of  can- 
cer of  the  tongue  and  mouth,  taken  from  my  private 
notes  during  fifteen  months  where  the  cause  was 
searched  for.  I  demonstrated  that  nine-tenths  of  the 
patients  were  inveterate  users  of  tobacco.  Thirteen 
cancers  inside  the  cheek  were  all  found  in  men  who 
chewed  or  had  chewed.  The  others  were  inveterate 
smokers.     I  was  amazed  at  the  demonstration. 

"Letters  afterwards  came  to  me,  such  as  one  from  a 
man  whose  mother  had  died  a  terrible  death  from  can- 


TOBACCO  AND   DISEASE  75 

cer  of  the  tongue.  He  knew  his  mother  had  chewed 
cigars — three  cigars  a  week — for  many  years,  begin- 
ning on  account  of  toothache.  His  physician  assured 
him  the  habit  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  disease;  it  was 
impossible  for  tobacco  to  cause  cancer;  that  'most  old 
people  died  of  cancer  anyhow.' 

"Dr.  Halstead,  of  Johns  Hopkins  Hospital,  wrote  me 
of  a  case  which  had  first  come  to  him  like  one  I  had 
((noted,  of  terrible  cancer  caused  by  rubbing  snuff  on 
the  tongue,  or  'dipping.' 

"During  the  last  six  weeks  I  have  been  consulted  by 
ten  patients  with  grave  cancer  of  the  throat  or  tongue, 
every  one  of  them  heavy  smokers,  that  is,  from  ten  to 
twelve  cigars  daily.  One  man  said  five  pipes  a  day 
would  not  exaggerate.  He  was  one  of  the  finest  types 
of  Spanish  gentlemen,  otherwise  unsurpassed  in  health 
and  physique,  but  with  an  advanced  cancer  of  the 
tongue  and  floor  of  the  mouth — a  hopeless  condition. 

"One  man  boasted  that  he  had  always  smoked  ciga- 
rettes only,  a  pack  a  day  of  all-tobacco  cigarettes,  ten 
in  a  package.  It  was  difficult  to  convince  him  he  was 
the  victim  of  this  pleasant  habit,  but  he  was  beyond 
saving — a  nice  chap,  poor  fellow! 

"One  handsome  woman  had  beginning  epithelioma  on 
the  tip  of  her  nose  with  a  seborrheic  eczema  along  one 
nostril.  She  smoked  cigarettes,  constantly.  With  a 
light  radium  treatment  and  abandonment  of  tobacco 
her  nose  was  perfect  in  six  weeks." 

Dr.  J.  H.  Kellogg,  Superintendent  of  the  Battle 
Creek  Sanitarium,  recently  issued  this  strong  indict- 
ment against  tobacco,  as  a  causative  factor  in  cancer: 


70  TOBACCO    AND    ML" .MAX    EFFICIENCY 

"There  is  no  chance  to  doubt  that  tobacco-using  is  often 
the  cause  of  this  terrible  disease.  All  eminent  surgeons 
testify  that  they  frequently  meet  cases  of  cancer  of  the 
lip  and  tongue  which  have  been  occasioned  by  smoking. 
A  number  of  such  cases  have  come  under  our  own  ob- 
servation, and  we  do  not  doubt  that  a  large  share  of 
cancers  of  the  lip  and  tongue  originate  in  this  way. 
This  view  is  further  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  in 
the  great  cancer  hospital  of  London,  where  more  than 
ten  thousand  cases  of  this  terrible  disease  have  been 
treated,  the  number  of  men  suffering  from  the  disease 
upon  the  lip  and  tongue  was  three  times  as  great  as 
the  number  of  women  so  affected,  although  the  female 
cancer   patients   outnumbered    the   men    five    to   one." 

In  discussing  the  fatality  of  this  disease  Kellogg  goes 
on  to  state  that  "hundreds  of  men  die  of  smoker's  can- 
cer every  year".  (Jeneral  U.  S.  Grant  is  known  to  have 
died  of  this  indescribable  malady,  as  did  also  the 
German  emperor.  Frederick  III. 

Tuberculosis. — The  use  of  tobacco  is  now  definitely 
known  to  strike  a  powerful  blow  directly  at  the  lungs 
and  respiratory  system  in  general.  The  injury  ac- 
complished seems  to  be  chiefly  due  to  the  marked  re- 
duction in  lung  capacity  and  to  the  deposition  of  dry 
bronzed  coating  upon  the  lining  of  this  organ.  To- 
bacco not  only  reduces  lung  capacity,  but  it  impairs  the 
efficiency  of  that  which  remains. 

Observers  everywhere  are  familiar  with  the  smoker's 

cough,  and  especially  with  that  of  the  cigarette  smoker. 

This  affliction  often  creeps  upon  its  victims  so  gradually 

that  they  are  not  aware  of  its  presence  until  attention 


tobacco  and  disease  11 

4 

is  called  to  it  by  the  consulting  physician,  or  until  its 
effects  are  so  apparent  that  the  victims  themselves  sud- 
denly come  to  a  realization  of  the  danger.  The  cough- 
ing- is  directly  due  to  the  constant  irritant  action  of 
the  poisonous  fumes  upon  the  delicate  lining  of  the 
throat  and  lungs.  "Smoker's  sore  throat"  has  come 
to  be  regarded  as  a  distinct  malady.  The  injury  done 
to  the  throat  and  lungs  has  become  so  apparent  that  the 
manufacturers  of  tobacco  are  forced  to  admit  it.  The 
hurried  reader  of  magazines  and  newspapers  may  com- 
monly overlook  this  admission  in  advertisements,  de- 
claring in  bold  type  that  this  or  that  particular  brand 
of  smoking  tobacco  has  neither  "bite"  nor  "sting." 
A  certain  chewing  gum  is  now  being  advertised  to  re- 
lieve dryness  of  the  throat  after  smoking. 

Of  the  influence  of  tobacco  upon  the  respiratory  sys- 
tem, Dr.  Arthur  R.  Cushny,  formerly  professor  of 
materia  medica  at  the  University  of  Michigan,  says: 
"One  of  the  commonest  effects  of  indulgence  in  to- 
bacco is  a  chronic  inflammation  of  the  throat  and  upper 
respiratory  passages  leading  to  hoarseness  and  excess- 
ive secretion  of  the  mucous  glands.  This  is  explained 
by  the  constant  application  to  the  throat  of  an  irritating 
alkali  vapor  and  is  probably  not  due  to  the  specific  ac- 
tion of  nicotine.  A  similar  irritated  condition  of  the 
tongue  is  met  wth." 

Individuals  whose  respiratory  organs  are  thus  im- 
paired are  but  poorly  equipped  to  withstand  the  ravages 
of  the  "great  white  plague",  a  disease  which  under 
many  conditions  makes  easy  inroads  even  where  the 
lungs  are  normal.     The  general  vitality  of  the  smoker 


78  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

is  also  below  that  of  the  non-smoker,  another  condition 
favoring  the  spread  of  this  monster  malady. 

Health  Commissioner  Anderson,  of  Minneapolis, 
recently  refused  a  license  to  sell  cigarettes  at  a  sum- 
mer resort  in  his  jurisdiction.  In  explaining  his  atti- 
tude Commissioner  Anderson  said  :  "I  am  convinced 
that  the  cigarette  is  the  cause  of  much  tuberculosis  in 
the  country.  1  happen  to  be  associated  with  the  I.  O. 
( ).  F.  in  their  efforts  to  care  for  consumptives  and  know 
from  that  source  that  the  cigarette  starts  many  lungs 
wrong." 

Dr.  J.  H.  Kellogg  has  the  following  to  say  con- 
cerning tobacco  and  consumption:  "The  relation  of 
impure  air  to  disease  of  the  lungs  is  everywhere  recog- 
nized, lit  has  been  very  clearly  demonstrated  that 
breathing  impure  air  is  the  great  cause  of  c  msumption. 
on  account  of  the  effect  of  poisonous  elements  upon  the 
blood  and  upon  the  lungs,  lEven  the  impurities  gath- 
ered from  the  blood  itself  exist  in  such  quantities  in  air 
which  has  been  once  breathed  as  to  render  it  unsafe  to 
breathe  again.  This  being  the  case,  it  will  be  readily 
seen  that  filling  the  lungs  with  nicotinized  smoke  and 
the  hot  fumes  of  tobacco  from  a  pipe  or  cigar  for  sev- 
eral hours  a  daw  cannot  but  be  a  most  certain  cause  of 
lung  trouble.  Moreover,  experience  shows  this  to  be 
the  case." 

The  same  authority  continues:  "There  is  a  very 
good  reason  why  tobacco  should  produce  consumption. 
When  smoke  is  brought  into  the  mouth  is  does  not  stop 
there,  but  goes  right  down  to  the  lungs.  It  makes  no 
differences  whether  the  smoke  is  swallowed  or  not,  for 


TOBACCO   AND   DISEASE  70 

when  air  is  drawn  in  some  of  the  smoke  comes  right 
%long  with  it  and  is  carried  down  to  the  2,000  square 
feet  of  delicate  mucous  membrane  that  comprises  the 
lungs.  In  this  way  the  lung-  tissues  are  damaged  by  tfce 
contact  with  nicotine,  prussic  acid,  and  a  half  dozen 
other  different  poisons." 

If  any  further  evidence  were  necessary  to  prove 
that  tobacco  aids  consumption  in  its  devastating 
scourge,  it  is  furnished  in  the  findings  of  the 
famous  Henry  Phipps  Institute,  established  for  the 
treatment  of  tuberculosis.  A  recent  report  from  this 
institution  states  that  tobacco  users  make  very  unfav- 
orable progress  as  compared  with  those  who  do  not  use 
it.  "In  1907,  15.58  per  cent  of  those  who  used  tobacco 
died  as  compared  with  only  5.15  per  cent  of  those  who 
did  not  use  it."  In  other  words,  the  use  of  tobacco  by 
tuberculose  patients  increases  the  probability  of  death  to 
three  times  as  great  as  that  of  the  abstaining  patients, 
ur  in  still  other  words,  among  tuberculose  patients 
three  times  as  many  tobacco-users  die  as  non-users:  Of 
those  who  used  tobacco  only  37.54  per  cent  showed  im- 
provement as  compared  with  45.36  per  cent  of  those 
who  did  not  use  it.  In  explaining  the  great  disparity  in 
deaths  among  users  and  non-users  the  report  goes  on 
to  say:  "The  preponderance  of  favorable  results  for 
those  who  did  not  use  tobacco  is  not  quite  as  large  as 
the  preponderance  of  favorable  results  for  non-alco- 
holics, but  it  is  also  pretty  large.  The  damaging  in- 
fluence of  tobacco  is  probably  exercised  through  the 
circulation.  Tobacco  undoubtedly  depresses  the  heart 
and  interferes  to  some  extent  with  vigorous  circulation. 


50  TOBACCO    W'li    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

I 

It  is  generally  conceded  that  anything  which  depresses 

the  circulation  inter  feres  with  nutrition  and  conse- 
quently predisposes  to  tuberculosis,  both  in  implan- 
tation and  development. v 

Eye  Impairment. — Even  the  casual  observer  is 
familiar  with  the  weakened  and  inflamed  condition  of 
the  tobacco-smoker's  eyes,  especially  those  of  the  cig- 
arettist. '  The  weakness  is  due  partially  to  the  constant 
irritating"  action  of  tobacco  fumes  upon  the  outer  eye, 
but  more  particularly  to  its  effect  upon  the  inner  eye 
and  optic  nerve.  The  extreme  seriousness  of  this  mat- 
ter is  seldom  appreciated  by  the  smoker  until  relief  is 
difficult  or  even  impossible.  In  its  earlier  stages  the 
affliction  can  ordinarily  be  overcome  simply  by  dis- 
continuing the  habit,  but  in  its  later  stages  recovery  is 
hardly  probable  even  under  the  most  expert  treatment. 
The  injury  commonly  manfests  itself  first  in  dimness 
of  vision,  especially  for  colors,  followed  later  by  partial 
or  complete  blindness  in  one  or  both  eyes. 

Science  has  long  since  recognized  the  impairment  of 
vision  in  tobacco  users.  Some  few  years  ago  Doctor 
brancis  Dowling  of  Cincinnati  made  an  extensive  ex- 
amination of  the  eyesight  of  employees  in  various  to- 
bacco  factories.  His  results  indicate  that  the  use  of 
tobacco,  and  not  merely  the  handling  of  it,  lies  at  the 
base  of  the  trouble,  for  among  only  habitual  and  invet- 
erate users  were  serious  defects  dicovered.  Doctor 
Dowling  states  that  among  the  employees  whose  work- 
is  to  separate  the  leaves  into  various  grades  according 
to  specific  tints  or  colors,  the  heavy  tobacco  users  are 
very  frequently  discharged  because  of  inefficiency.     He 


TOBACCO   AND  DISEASE  81 

goes  so  Ear  us  to  believe  that  inveterate  users  can  be 
detected  in  factories  because  of  their  waning-  color 
sense. 

As  a  result  of  his  investigations,  Dr.  Dowling  gives 
the  following  summary  of  the  principal  symptoms 
characterizing  chronic  tobacco  poisoning  as  affecting 
the  organs  of  sight :  "The  subjects  who  usually  suffer 
with  tobacco  blindness  are  almost  always  males  be- 
tween the  ages  of  35  and  68.  Exceptions  to  this  oc- 
casionally occur  and  in  one  of  my  own  series  of  ex- 
aminations, made  some  years  ago.  I  found  a  young  boy 
aged  nineteen  who  represented  a  well-marked  case  of 
this  trouble.  He  was  a  most  inveterate  smoker  and 
chewer  of  tobacco.  There  is  almost  always  a  gradual 
but  progressive  failure  of  visual  acuteness  in  both  eyes. 
This  was  noticed  more  or  less  in  a  large  number  of  all 
those  I  examined.  Luminous  objects  dazzle  the  eye- 
sight, and  a  brilliant  light  is  worse  for  reading  than 
i  subdued  one.  These  patients  see  better  in  the  even- 
ing than  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  In  addition  to  this, 
patients  often  complain  of  a  glimmering  mist  which 
covers  all  objects,  especially  in  a  bright  light.  Persist- 
ent contraction  of  both  pupils  is  generally  present,  and 
this  was  a  marked  symptom  in  most  of  the  cases  exam- 
ined by  me.  This  symptom  was  present  in  many  cases 
where  the  men  were  heavy  chewers  of  tobacco,  even 
where  there  was  very  little  other  evidence  of  injury. 
Lastly  the  examination  of  the  eyes  of  those  affected 
with  tobacco  blindness  reveals  the  papilla  of  the  optic 
nerve  to  be  more  than  usually  red  in  the  early  part  of 
the  affection.     Later  it  appears  anaemic,  especially  on 


82  TOBACCO    AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

the  temporal  half,  and  finally  wasting  of  the  disc  takes 
place.  *  *  *  The  outlook  for  the  cure  of  patients 
suffering  with  dullness  of  vision  due  to  tobacco  is  good 
if  the  patient  conies  under  treatment  early:  in  some 
cases  complete  recovery  occurs  and  a  very  great  im- 
provement is  the  rule.  In  long  standing  cases  moder- 
ate improvement  is  all  he  can  expect.  If  smoking  is 
persisted  in  no  improvement  takes  place  under  any 
system  of  treatment." 

The  findings  of  Doctor  Dowling  in  relation  to  the 
impairment  of  vision  in  tobacco  users  by  no  means 
stands  alone.  Dr.  Cushny,  the  famous  investigator, 
in  his  widely  used  work.  Pharmacology  and  There* 
peutics,  says  of  the  abuse  of  tobacco:  "Another  im- 
portant symptom  is  dimness  of  vision,  especially  for 
colors  and  imperfect  accommodation,  which  may  go  on 
to  complete  blindness  in  one  or  both  eyes.  In  early 
cases  the  retina  often  appears  pale,  and  if  the  condi- 
tion persists,  atrophy  of  the  optic  nerve  may  result. 
probably  following  on  degenerative  changes  in  the 
ganglion  cells  of  the  muscular  region  of  the  retina." 

The  National  Standard  Dispensatory,  regarded  by 
the  medical  profession  as  one  of  the  highest  authorities 
in  existence,  says  of  the  physiological  effects  of  tobac- 
co: "It  renders  the  vision  weak  and  uncertain,  causing 
objects  to  appear  nebulous,  or  creates  muscae  volitantes 
and  similar  subjective  perceptions.  In  numerous  in- 
stances it  is  said  to  have  produced  amaurosis  (blind- 
ness ).  I  hit  others  decline  to  describe  the  effect  by  that 
word,  employing  rather  'scotoma'  or  simple  obscurity 


TOBACCO  AND   DISEASE  83 

or  indistinctness  of  vision.     It  usually  disappears  soon 
after  the  use  of  tobacco  is  abandoned." 

In  harmony  with  what  has  just  been  said,  it  should 
be  noted  that  most  cases  of.  sight  impairment  due  to 
this  cause  can  be  overcome  by  abandoning  the  causative 
factor.  The  great  mass  of  tobacco  users,  however,  do 
not  attribute  dimness  of  vision  to  this  cause,  and  even 
when  they  become  aware  of  the  origin  of  the  trouble 
they  are  often  slow  to  sacrifice  the  habit  for  the  welfare 
of  the  choicest  and  most  delicate  organ  in  the  entire 
human  body. 

Heart  Disease. — There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  ill  ef- 
fects of  tobacco  upon  the  heart.  If  no  other  proof  were 
available  its  interference  with  heart  action,  as  shown 
in  the  pulse,  would  be  quite  sufficient.  The  heart,  like 
all  other  organs  of  the  body,  is  so  designed  with  its 
remarkable  factor  of  safety  that  it  can  be  considerably 
overworked  without  visibly  manifesting"  the  additional 
strain.  As  pointed  out  elsewhere,  however,  a  single 
cigar  or  cigarette  is  quite  sufficient  to  upset  the  regu- 
larity of  this  most  important  organ.  It  is  significant 
that  heart  disturbance  is  not  confined  to  those  who  are 
unaccustomed  to  the  habit,  but  is  plainly  manifest  in 
habitual  smokers,  a  condition  which  proves  that  the 
heart  never  becomes  accustomed  to  the  imposition. 
It  is  furthermore  apparent  that  a  single  indulgence  en- 
croaches upon  the  heart's  factor  of  safetw  otherwise 
its  influence  would  not  be  manifest. 

It  should  be  no  wonder,  therefore,  that  the  constant 
nagging  of  this  habit  sooner  or  later  results  in  marked 
impairment  of  the  human  heart,  both  functionallv  and 


84  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

organically.*    "Tobacco  heart"  is  coming-  to  be  regarded 

as  a  distinct  malady,  and  one  from  which  a  very  large 
percentage  of  smokers  are  suffering.  Aside  from  its 
direct  action  upon  the  heart,  tobacco  is  known  to  affect 
the  nervous  system  in  such  a  manner  as  to  inhibit  or 
prevent  the  proper  action  of  this  organ,  often  resulting 
in  immediate  death. 

There  is  no  dearth  of  professional  opinion  to  support 
the  view  that  tobacco  damages  the  heart  and  leads 
directly  both  to  organic  and  functional  disturbances. 
The  testimonials  of  a  few  of  the  more  prominent  sci- 
entists will  serve  the  present  purpose. 

In  his  work.  Stimulants  and  Narcotics,  Dr.  Kellogg 
says :  "The  effect  of  tobacco  upon  the  heart  is  indi- 
cated by  the  pulse,  which  is  a  most  accurate  index  to 
the  condition  of  the  heart.  The  pulse  of  the  tobacco 
user  says,  in  terms  as  plain  as  any  words  could,  that 
his  heart  is  partly  paralyzed,  that  its  force  and  vigor 
are  diminished,  that  it  is,  in  fact,  poisoned.  Old  smok- 
ers, and  not  a  few  of  those  who  have  indulged  but  a  few 
years,  often  suffer  with  palpitation  of  the  heart,  in- 
termittent pulse,  and  angina  pectoris,  and  other  symp- 
toms of  derangement  of  tin's  most  important  organ. 
There  is,  in  fact,  a  diseased  condition  of  the  heart 
which  is  so  characteristic  of  chronic  tobacco  poisoning 
that  it  has  been  very  appropriately  termed  'narcotism 
of  the  heart.'  Medical  statistics  show  that  about  one 
in  every  four  smokers  has  this  condition.  There  is 
good  evidence  for  believing  that  not  only  functional 
but  organic  disease  of  the  heart  may  be  occasioned  by 
the  use  of  tobacco." 


TOBACLO  AND  DISEASE  85 

The  following  statement  of  the  part  taken  by  to- 
bacco in  heart  degeneracy  conies  from  England's  fam- 
ous physician,  the  great  Doctor  Lauder  Brunton :  "If 
tobacco  be  pushed  to  too  great  an  extent  it  is  a  power- 
ful heart  poison  and  it  has  a  curious  affect  upon  the 
heart,  which,  I  think,  varies  according  to  the  kind  of 
tobacco  employed."  In  excess  tobacco  "seems  to  bring 
on  an  affection  of  the  heart  characterized  by  extraor- 
dinary irregularity.  *  *  *  *  So  long  as  the  to- 
bacco is  continued  this  irritability  of  the  heart  is  likely 
to  last.  A  curious  point  about  it  is  that  a  very  little 
tobacco  will  keep  up  this  irritability,  and  that  sometimes 
it  is  necessary  to  tell  the  patient  not  merely  to  lessen 
the  quantity  of  tobacco  that  he  is  smoking  but  to  stop 
it  altogether  until  the  heart  becomes  regular." 

Dr.  Arnold  Lorand,  the  famous  physician  of  Carls- 
bad. Austria,  in  his  work  Old  Age  Deferred,  says: 
"Nicotine  may  exercise  a  fatal  action  on  various  organs 
— for  instance,  on  the  inner  parts  of  the  eye  and  the 
optic  nerve,  and  the  nervous  system;  but  without  doubt 
its  most  injurious  action  is  on  the  heart  and  the  stom- 
ach. At  first  it  may  cause  only  an  irregular  pulse  and 
an  occasional  feeling  of  stopping  of  the  heart ;  but  if 
continued,  in  spite  of  these  symptoms,  for  a  long  time, 
^  it  can  undoubtedly  produce  the  condition  of  atheroma- 
tosis (disease  of  the  arteries),  and  will  assist  in  the 
development  of  arteriosclerosis.* 

The  great  William  Ostler,  of  whom  there  is  probably 
no  peer  in  the  theory  and  practice  of  modern  medicine, 
recently  delivered   three  lectures  upon   the  subject  of 


86  TOBACCO   AND   HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

heart  disease  before  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians  of 
London.  In  describing  the  attacks  of  this  disease  upon 
a  certain  patient,  Doctor  Ostler  states  that  the  indi- 
vidual in  question  "had  lived  just  the  sort  of  life  likely 
to  bring  them  on — a  gross  eater,  hard  worker,  heavy 
smoker".  Again.  "It  is  interesting  to  note  that  very 
heavy  smokers  may  die  a  vagus  inhibition  death,  just 
as  we  see  in  anigna  pectoris.  Three  robust,  healthy 
persons  of  my  acquaintance,  not  known  to  have  had 
heart  disease,  but  all  incessant  smokers  of  very  strong 
cigars,  died  suddenly  in  this  way,  without  warning — 
one,  aged  S3  while  walking;  one,  a  man  of  36  fell 
off  a  chair  at  his  club ;  the  other  a  man  of  38  died  on  the 
beach  after  bathing." 

The  manner  in  which  tobacco  very  commonly  causes 
death  among  its  devotees  is  related  in  a  recent  issue  of 
the  British  Medical  Journal,  as  follows:  "The  late 
King  Edward  had  what  is  known  as  a  smoker's  throat, 
and  this  and  the  congestion  and  thickening  due  to  that 
cause,  combined  with  the  loss  of  elasticity  in  the  lungs, 
marie  it  increasingly  difficult  for  him  to  clear  his  chest. 
The  strain  thrown  upon  the  heart  by  the  obstruction  to 
the  passage  of  the  blood  through  the  lungs  caused  by 
the  collection  of  secretion  in  the  bronchial  tubes  had  its 
natural  sequel  in  dilation  of  the  right  ventricle,  and  the 
actual  cause  of  death  was  heart  failure  due  to  the  in- 
creasing difficulty  in  pulmonary  circulation.  It  was, 
in  short,  a  case  of  a  type  seen  every  day  in  thou- 
sands of  elderly  persons.  The  cause  of  death  in  such 
cases  is  purely  mechanical,  the  action  of  the  overladen 


TOBACCO   AND    DISEASE  87 

heart  being'  gradually  stopped  by  increasing  resistance 
in  the  lungs." 

4  The  extent  to  which  heart  impairment  may  be 
brought  on  by  the  use  of  tobacco  depends,  of  course, 
upon  a  number  of  factors,  chiefly  the  resistance  of  the 
individual  and  the  extent  of  the  practice.  Some  in- 
dividuals are  affected  much  less  seriously  than  others, 
but  in  no  case  are  the  results  negligible.  While  the 
injury  in  the  less  pronounced  cases  may  not  be 
sufficient  to  be  counted  as  heart  disease,  yet  any  weak- 
ening of  this  important  organ,  no  matter  how  slight, 
will  finally  make  its  influence  felt,  esepcially  in  recov- 
ery from  disease. 

Authorities  report  that  great  numbers  of  individuals 
die  annually  from  sudden  strokes  of  heart  disease  due 
to  the  use  of  tobacco.  There  can  be  no  question,  how- 
ever, that  a  very  much  larger  number  of  deaths,  at- 
tributed to  other  causes,  are  actually  the  result  of  heart 
failure  brought  on  by  tobacco  poisoning.  The  writer 
was  personally  acquainted  with  a  young  man  wdiose 
death  was  reported  to  be  due  to  typhoid  fever,  while 
as  a  matter  of  fact  he  would  have  recovered  from  this 
disease  had  his  heart  been  strong  enough  to  carry  him 
over  the  crisis.  A  weakened  tobacco  heart  was  the 
underlying  cause  of  his  death.  When  the  full  truth  is 
known,  and  every  factor  is  given  its  just  balance,  it  will 
undoubtedly  be  seen  that  tobacco  is  the  ultimate  cause 
of  untold  numbers  of  deaths  now  attributed  to  other 
causes. 

Hardening  of  the  Arteries.       That  the  use  of  to- 


88  TOBACCO    AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

tobacco  materially  increases  the  blood  pressure  can  now 
easily  be  demonstrated  by  anyone  who  cares  to  investi- 
gate the  matter.  This  condition  can  accurately  be  de- 
termined by  examination  with  the  sphygmomanometer, 
an  instrument  carried  by  practically  every  up-to-date 
physician.  The  use  of  as  much  tobacco  as  is  contained 
in  a  single  cigar  raises  the  blood  pressure  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  it  is  easily  measurable  by  means  of  this  in- 
strument. Anyone  can  determine  this  matter  for  him- 
self simply  by  taking  the  blood  pressure  immediately 
before  smoking  and  say  fifteen  to  twenty  minutes  after. 
Eminent  authorities  state  that  the  continuous  use  of 
tobacco  commonly  results  in  permanent  increase  of 
blood  pressure,  and  that  the  latter  not  infrequently 
results  in  arteriosclerosis  or  hardening  of  the  arteries. 
That  high  blood  pressure  is  regarded  as  a  grave  symp- 
tom is  shown  by  the  fact  that  life  insurance  companies 
are  very  slow  to  accept  applicants  showing  this  con- 
dition. It  usually  indicates  that  disease  of  the  kidneys 
or  other  vital  organs  is  threatening  or  is  already  pres- 
ent. Aside  from  showing  a  serious  condition  of  the 
entire  circulatory  system,  the  heart  included,  arterios- 
clerosis is  now  looked  upon  as  the  seat  of  an  almost 
innumerable  variety  of  ailments. 

Tobacco  as  a  causative  factor  in  high  blood  pressure 
and  hardening  of  the  arteries  was  recently  discussed 
before  the  National  Conference  of  Race  Betterment  by 
Dr.  Daniel  Lichty,  Senior  Consultant  of  the  Rockford 
City  Hospital  and  President  of  the  Rockford  Munic- 
ipal Tuberculosis  Sanitarium.      lie  said  in  part: 

".Much  experimentation  with  tobacco  has  been  made 


TOBACCO  AND    DISEASE  89 

to  ascertain  the  cause  of  increase  of  arteriosclerosis  and 
heart  disease,  the  so-called  'hardening  of  the  arteries', 
also  the  cause  of  interruption  of  function  and  nutri- 
tion, leading  to  mental  perversion,  insanity,  sudden 
deaths  and  the  main-  palsies.  The  earliest  observa- 
tions on  this  line,  and  which  establishes  beyond  doubt 
the  deleterious  action  of  tobacco  upon  the  arteries,  is 
that  of  Isaac  Adler.  demonstrating  hardening  in  the 
end  arteries  of  rabbits  as  a  result  of  feeding  them  with 
a  tea  made  of  tobacco.  Boveri  confirmed  these  results 
by  giving  this  tea  by  stomach  tube,  and  caused  damage 
at  the  base  of  the  aorta  in  ten  out  of  sixteen  rabbits, 
while  Baylac  on  the  same  line  got  the  same  results  in 
each  of  eight  rabbits  into  which  tobacco  tea  was  in- 
jected into  veins  under  the  skin.  Jebrowsky  and  W. 
E.  Lee  obtained  the  same  results  in  other  rabbits  by 
making  them  inhale  tobacco  smoke.  A  great  number 
of  experiments  with  tobacco  in  this  country  and  Europe 
obtained  results  so  akin  to  these  that  no  other  conclu- 
sion can  be  entertained.  The  general  conclusion  is 
that  a  toxic  principle  in  the  tobacco  is  the  cause  of 
arteriosclerosis.  What  more  prevalent  toxin  is  present 
than  nicotine  or  other  tobacco  toxins0 

"Chewing,  more  than  smoking,  through  absorption 
and  hemolysis  also  causes  an  acidosis  of  the  blood 
which  increases  bloOd  pressure,  strains  the  heart,  im- 
pairs the  kidneys'  function,  precipitates  the  soluble 
calcium  into  calcium  carbonate,  whose  granules  find 
lodgment  in  the  lattice  framework  of  the  media  and 
produces  the  arteritis  nodosa  of  arteriosclerosis.  The 
high  blood  pressure  will  account  for  some  of  the  flights 


90  TOBACCO    AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

of  genius  and  descents  into  iniquity  of  some  great 
minds  otherwise  blameless.  Tobacco  toxemia  is  more 
to  blame  than  alcohol.  A  man  usually  knows  when  he 
is  drunk,  but  rarely  knows  when  he  is  tobacco  ine- 
briated." 

Dr.  F.  de  Havilland  Hall,  consulting-  physician  to  the 
great  Westminster  Hospital,  London,  recently  deliv- 
ered a  striking  address  before  the  Medical  Society  of 
London  on  "The  Treatment  of  Arteriosclerosis  and 
High  Tension".  Concerning  the  part  taken  by  tobacco 
this  eminent  authority  said  :  "Regarding  tobacco  as 
one  of  the  factors  in  the  production  of  arteriosclerosis, 
T  advise  that  less  than  two  ounces  should  be  smoked 
weekly,  and  if  the  patient  can  be  induced  to  give  it  up 
entirely  so  much  the  better.  Tn  cases  of  tachycardia. 
palpitation,  angina,  or  where  the  left  ventricle  is  di- 
lated, tobacco  should  be  absolutely  excluded.  It  is  very 
striking  how  speedily  improvement  may  ensue  if  to- 
bacco be  entirely  discontinued.  "While  I  was  writing 
this  paper,  a  medical  friend  consulted  me  on  account 
of  cardiac  discomfort  and  irregularity  of  heart  action. 
I  advised  him  to  give  up  tobacco  and  coffee,  and  when 
1  saw  him  six  weeks  later  all  his  cardiac  symptoms  had 
disappeared." 

Nervousness,  The  immediate  effect  of  tobacco  is 
that  of  a  narcotic,  ft  soothes  and  depresses  the  entire 
nervous  system  in  such  a  manner  that  the  individual 
experiences  feelings  of  well-being  and  general  comfort. 
Smokers  are  especially  prone  to  indulge  after  the  per- 
formance of  tasks  involving  marked  activity  either 
mental  or  physical,  for  the  reason  that  the  use  of  to- 


TOBACCO   AND    DISEASE  91 

bacco  seldom   fails  to  reduce  nervous  tension  and  to 
enhance  feelings  of  comfort  and  repose. 

This  depressant  effect  is  directly  traceable  to  the 
narcotic  nicotine.  The  action  of  this  drug  upon  the 
nervous  system  immediately  reduces  its  sensitiveness 
and  otherwise  lowers  its  activity.  The  seriousness  of 
thus  interfering  with  the  operations  of  nature  is  clearly 
pointed  out  in  the  citations  following. 

The  Motional  Standard  Dispensatory,  the  physicians' 
highest  court  of  appeals,  after  stating  that  the  "Essen- 
tial effects  of  tobacco  are  best  illustrated  by  the  action 
of  nicotine  employed  experimentally",  goes  on  to  say: 
"The  nervous  system,  after  the  debilitating  influence  of 
the  poison  has  developed  itself,  shows  its  condition  by 
muscular  spasm,  which  begins  with  tremulousness  of 
the  extremities,  and  gradually  involves  the  whole  mus- 
cular system,  including  the  respiratory  muscles,  so  that 
,the  breathing  is  oppressed,  gasping,  and  incomplete. 
*This  enumeration  of  effects  is  sufficient  to  prove  that 
nicotine  acts  primarily  upon  the  spinal  and  sympathetic 
nervous  systems,  and  not  upon  the  brain."  Speaking 
of  the  specific  effect  of  the  habitually  excessive  use 
of  tobacco  the  same  high  authority  says:  "It  induces 
a  constant  sense  of  uneasiness  and  nervousness  with 
epigastric  sinking  or  tension,  palpitation  (irritable 
heart),  hypochondriasis,  impaired  memory,  neuralgia, 
and  frequent  urination." 

Dr.  Solly,  the  famous  physician  of  St.  Thomas  Hos- 
pital, England,  is  quoted  as  saying:  "I  know  of  no 
single  vice  which  does  so  much  harm  as  smoking.  Tt 
is  a  snare  and  delusion.     It  soothes  the  excited  nervous 


92  TOBACCO    AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

system  at  the  time,  to  render  it  more  feeble  and  irritable 
ultimately.  I  have  had  a  large  experience  in  brain 
diseases,  and  I  am  satisfied  that  smoking  is  a  most 
noxious  habit.  I  know  of  no  other  cause  or  agent  that 
so  much  tends  to  bring  on  functional  disease,  and 
through  this  in  the  end  to  lead  to  organic  disease  of 
the  brain." 

Dr.  Kellogg,  in  his  work  Neurasthenia  or  Nervous 
Exhaustion,  in  discussing  the  part  played  by  tobacco, 
says :  "The  toxic  effect  of  tobacco  upon  the  sympa- 
thetic nervous  system  is  shown  by  the  nausea,  vertigo 
and  great  depression  generally  produced  by  the  first 
pipe  or  cigar  in  the  'would  be'  devotee  of  the  drug. 
Trembling  of  the  hands,  intermittent  beating  of  the 
heart,  shortness  of  breath  and  loss  of  endurance  are 
effects  which  regularly  follow  the  habitual  use  of  to- 
bacco. No  intelligent  trainer  will  permit  a  man  pre- 
paring for  an  athletic  event  to  make  use  of  tobacco  in 
any  form.  A  large  proportion  of  young  men  who  are 
refused  admission  to  the  army  at  the  recruiting  bureaus 
are  rejected  because  of  neurasthenic  symptoms  due  to 
the  use  of  tobacco.  The  man  whose  nerves  are  un- 
steady and  who  cannot  work  without  his  pipe  or  cigar 
has  already  become  a  tobacco  neurasthenic." 

In  another  article  dealing  with  the  fundamental  causes 
of  nervousness  Dr.  ECelloefg  savs  further:  "Particularly 
serious  is  the  effect  of  tobacco  upon  the  nervous  sys- 
tem, an  effect  which  manifests  itself  in  a  wide  variety 
of  ways.  One  person  is  easily  startled,  another  is  ab- 
normally irritable,  cross  and  irascible;  another  suffers 
fmrn  insomnia,  and  others  from  trembling"  of  the  hands. 


TOBACCO  AND   DISEASE  93 

For  the  time  being,  tobacco  sometimes  appears  to  give 
tone  and  steadiness  to  the  nerves,  but  this  effect  is  de- 
ceptive and  the  ultimate  effect  is  to  increase  the  very 
difficulty  which  it  has  the  appearance  of  benefiting. 
The  writer  has  known  of  many  cases  of  women  and 
children  who  suffered  seriously  from  nervous  disorders 
due  in  a  very  large  part  to  the  influence  upon  the  system 
of  the  poisonous  fumes  of  tobacco  which  they  inhaled 
in  the  poison  laden  atmosphere  of  their  homes.  The 
best  proof,  perhaps,  of  the  injurious  nature  of  the  drug 
is  the  fact  that  in  scores  of-  cases  which  we  have  ob- 
served nervous  symptoms  have  entirely  disappeared 
with  the  disuse  of  tobacco  in  every  form." 

Dr.  Charles  L.  Hamilton  is  authority  for  the  follow- 
ing comprehensive  statement  concerning  the  effect  of 
tobacco  upon  the  nervous  system :  "The  nervous  sys- 
tem is  often  profoundly  affected,  largely  through  im- 
paired nutrition  affecting  the  nerve  cells  and  through 
them  the  proper  generation  of  nerve  force.  This 
weakened  muscular  action,  twitching,  tremor,  etc.,  with 
languor,  general  weakness,  inability  to  concentrate 
thought,  insomnia,  a  sense  of  oppression  in  the  brain, 
dizziness;  which  symptoms  may  increase  into  a  true 
dementia  unless  the  use  of  cigarettes  be  stopped  in 
proper  time.  Many  educators  as  well  as  physicians 
note  the  fact  that  school  boys  who  use  cigarettes  do 
not  learn  as  readily  as  those  who  do  not  use  them,  and 
in  consequence  they  fall  behind  in  their  classes  and 
finally  drop  out  of  school  entirely." 

Tt  has  been  held  by  some  investigators  that  the  effect 
of  tobacco  upon  the  nervous  system  is  functional  rather 


94  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

than  organic;  that  is,  it  disturbs  the  process  of  opera- 
tion but  not  the  organ  itself.  More  recent  evidence, 
however,  seems  to  prove  that  the  use  of  tobacco  actually 
produces  degeneration  in  the  cells  themselves.  The 
Scientific  Temperance  Journal  reports  the  findings  of 
Buillian  and  Gy,  two  European  scientists  who  recently 
conducted  a  series  of  experiments  on  animals,  as  fol- 
lows: "The  injuries  discovered  consisted  almost  en- 
tirely of  changes  in  the  fine  granular  bodies  of  the  cells 
which  became  diminished  in  number,  cloudy  and  dis- 
colored ;  and  in  the  appearance  of  'vacuoles'  or  places 
in  the  cells  in  which  the  characteristic  network  had  dis- 
appeared. Their  extension  over  the  entire  cells  means 
the  disappearance  or  death  of  the  cell.  Not  all  of  the 
cells  were  damaged  to  the  same  extent  in  the  tobacco 
poisoned  animals.  Cells  injured  in  varying  degrees 
would  be  found  in  the  midst  of  others  entirely  sound. 
The  authors  state  expressly  that  the  different  poisonous 
substances  seem  to  show  in  tobacco  poisoning  a  special 
affinity  for  the  nerve  cells.  It  is  here  that  the  max- 
imum damage  is  found.  These  lesions,  they  say,  are 
interesting  to  know,  and  to  put  parallel  with  the  mul- 
tiplicity of  nervous  symptoms  observed  so  often  in  ex- 
perimental tobacco  poisoning  as  well  as  in  the  human 
subject.  'With  men,  or  at  least  with  certain  subjects, 
the  prolonged  and  immoderate  use  of  tobacco  often 
causes  disorders  of  the  intellect,  such  as  difficulty  of 
attention,  inability  to  fix  or  associate  ideas.'  " 

Light  smokers,  and  those  who  are  just  acquiring  the 
habit,  seldom  use  tobacco  while  working,  especially 
when  dee])  and  concentrated  thought  is  required,  but 


TOBACCO   AND    DISEASE  9." 

heavv  habitual  smokers  commonly  indulge  during-  such 
activity.     To  those  who  have  not  become  thoroughly 

inured  to  its  narcotic  effect,  tobacco  so  reduces  desire 
for  activity  that  good  work  cannot  be  done  while  under 
its  influence.  The  efforts  of  nature,  however,  to  accom- 
modate itself  to  the  depressant  action  of  this  narcotic, 
sooner  or  later  terminate  in  a  highly  nervous  condition, 
especially  when  the  effects  of  the  drug  are  removed. 
Many  inveterate  smokers,  therefore,  are  almost  helpless 
if  deprived  of  tobacco  during  periods  demanding 
marked  mental  activity.  The  writer  is  personally  ac- 
quainted with  a  prominent  mining  engineer  whose 
nervous  system  has  been  so  completely  upset  by  heavy 
smoking  that  he  is  totally  unable  to  transact  the  or- 
dinary business  of  his  office  without  the  use  of  tobacco. 

The  seriousness  of  interfering  in  the  slightest  degree 
with  the  natural  operations  of  the  nervous  system 
should  be  fully  apparent  when  it  is  borne  in  mind  that 
one  of  its  chief  functions  is  that  of  monitor,  indicating 
the  physical  condition  of  the  body.  The  nervous  sys- 
tem is  to  the  body  what  the  complicated  system  of  sig- 
nals is  to  the  railroad  engineer.  From  the  position  of 
the  arms  of  the  semaphore  or  the  color  of  the  lights 
displayed,  the  engineer  is  informed  of  the  nature  of  the 
track  ahead,  and  from  the  signals  displayed  by  the 
nervous  system  the  human  mind  is  informed  of  the 
body's  condition.  Any  interference  with  the  position 
of  the  arms  of  the  semaphore  or  with  the  color  of  the 
lights  at  i  Mice  destroys  the  usefulness  of  this  otherwise 
reliable  system. 

The  whole  civilized  world  would  cry  out  against  the 


96  TOBACCO   AND   HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

man  who  would  replace  the  red  light  on  a  signalling 

(device  by  a  white  one,  or  who  would  change  the  sema- 
phore arm  from  horizontal  to  vertical,  yet  in  the  case 
of  human  bodies  identically  the  same  thing"  is  imposed 
millions  of  times  each  day.  and  that  too  without  censure 
or  care.  Strangely  enough  the  human  family  seems  to 
regard  interference  with  mechanical  devices  as  far  more 
serious  than  interference  with  the  natural  operations  of 
their  own  bodies.  An  individual  who  would  knowing- 
ly cause  a  railroad  disaster  resulting  in  the  loss  of  his 
own  life  would  everywhere  be  regarded  as  a  suicide, 
yet  he  may  knowingly  bring  on  premature  death 
through  the  use  of  various  poisonous  substances,  and 
then  be  buried  with  Christian  honors.  The  time  will 
come  when  society  will  exact  of  men  full  compliance 
with  known  law,  and  when  men  who  bring  about  sick- 
ness and  premature  death  through  injurious  habits  will 
be  regarded  as  not  far  removed  from  those  who  cause 
death  violently. 

Science  has  shown  that  the  use  of  tobacco  is  not  only 
a  predisposing  factor  to  disease  in  offspring,  through  its 
vitiating  influence  upon  the  body,  but  that  some  of  the 
most  dreaded  diseases  known  to  the  human  race  are 
commonly  experienced  by  those  who  use  it.  And 
still  it  seems  that  smokers  are  willing  to  pay  the  price. 


TOR  A  CCO   AND    DISEASE  07 


IX 
PHYSICAL  ACTIVITY 

If  no  other  indictment  could  be  made  against  the  to- 
bacco habit  the  attitude  of  the  combined  athletic  coaches 
of  the  world  should  be  sufficient.  No  one  ever  heard 
of  a  coach  permitting  his  men  under  training  to  smoke. 
And  whv  not?  Because  it  has  been  demonstrated  in 
hundreds  of  cases  that  smokers  lack  the  final  "grit", 
tact,  and  physical  endurance  demanded  of  athletes.  It 
is  universally  admitted  that  if  victory  is  to  be  expected 
in  a  game  of  ball,  a  race,  a  hammer  throw,  a  high  jump, 
or  a  pole  vault,  participants  must  give  up.  all  tobacco 
and  otherwise  train  for  the  event.  This  admission 
ought  to  be  snfficient  to  convince  the  average  man  that 
tobacco  is  not  good  for  him.  Furthermore,  athletes 
constitute  the  height  of  human  perfection.  If  tobacco 
is  injurious  to  our  most  nearly  physically  perfect  men, 
what  can  be  expected  of  its  effect  upon  the  average  or 
under  average  individual? 

Sump  vpars  acm  Dr  \V  P  T  ninhnrrl  r>f  thp  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  showed  that  the  use  of  even  very 
small  amounts  of  tobacco  in  the  form  of  smoke  mate- 
rially impairs  the  working  power  of  the  human  muscle. 
His  experiments  were  made  with  Mosso's  ergograph 
(work-recorder),  an  ingenious  device  arranged  to  test 
and  record  the  strength  of  the  fingers  when  lifting- 
weights  attached  to  a  cord  passing  over  a  pulley.  Dr. 
Lombard's  experiments  showed  that  the  muscle  power 


98  TOBACCO   AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

began  to  diminish  in  from  five  to  ten  minutes  after  the 
subject  began  fo  smoke  an  ordinary  cigar,  and  at  the 
close  of  an  horn-,  after  the  cigar  had  been  burned,  it  had 
fallen  to  twenty-five  per  cent  of  its  initial  value.  The 
total  work  of  the  time  of  depression,  compared  with  a 
similar  normal  period,  was  as  24.2  to  44.8.  In  other 
words,  the  total  work  accomplished  while  under  the  im 
mediate  effects  of  tobacco  yyas  onl}  fifty-four  per  cenl 
of  that  accomplished  without  it.  Tobacco  users  com- 
monly regard  these  findings  as  little  short  of  the  ridic- 
ulous, but  in  fairness  to  all  it  should  be  remembered 
that  smokers  do  not  seem  to  be  aware  of  their  deficien- 
cies. One  of  the  chief  dangers  of  tobacco  lies  in  the 
fact  that  it  convinces  men  that  they  are  normal  when 
they  are  below  normal — it  makes  them  feel  that  they 
are  doing  full  days'  work  when  in  reality  they  are  but 
poorly  proficient. 

In  an  article  captioned  "The  Effects  of  Nicotine", 
published  in  the  Arena  for  February,  18°-/".  Dr.  Jay  \Y. 
Seaver  of  Yale  University,  presents  some  interesting 
data  relative  to  the  physical  development  of  male  stu- 
dents at  that  institution.  Dr.  Seaver  says:  "A  tabu- 
lation of  the  records  of  the  students  who  entered  Vale 
in  nine  years,  when  all  of  the  young  men  were  exam- 
ined and  measured,  shows  that  the  smokers  averaged 
fifteen  months  older  than  the  non-smokers,  but  that 
their  size — except  in  weight,  which  was  one  and  four- 
tenths  kilograms  (about  three  pounds)  more — was  in- 
ferior in  height  to  the  extent  of  seven  millimeters,  and 
in  lung  capacity  to  the  extent  of  eighty  cubic  centime- 
ters.    The  observed  rate  of  growth  at  this  age  would 


PHYSICAL   A.CTIVI  i  Y  99 

lead  us  in  expect  that  the  smokers,  from  their  greater 
age  would  surpass  the  others  by  one  kilogram  in  weight, 
two  millimeters  in  height,  and  one  hundred  cubic  cen- 
timeters in  lung  capacity."  And  again:  "The  effect 
of  nicotine  on  growth  is  very  measurable,  and  the  fol- 
' lowing  figures  are  presented  as  a  fairly  satisfactory 
demonstration  of  the  extent  of  the  interference  with 
growth  that  may  he  expected  in  hoys  from  16  to  25 
years  of  age,  when  they  are  believed  to  have  reached 
their  full  maturity.  For  purposes  of  comparison  the 
men  composing  a  class  in  Yale  have  been  divided  into 
three  groups.  The  first  is  made  up  of  those  who  do 
not  use  tobacco  in  any  form;  the  second  consists  of 
those  who  have  used  it  regularly  for  at  least  a  year  of 
the  college  course;  the  third  group  includes  the  irreg- 
ular users.  A  compilation  of  the  anthropometric  data 
on  this  basis  shows  that  during-  the  period  of  under- 
graduate life,  which  is  essentially  three  and  one-half 
years,  the  first  group  grows  in  weight  10.4  per  cent 
more  than  the  second,  and  6.6  per  cent  more  than  the 
third.  Tn  height  the  first  group  grows  24  per  cent 
more  than  the  second,  and  11  per  cent  more  than  the 
third;  in  girth  of  chest  the  first  group  grows  26.7  per 
cent  more  than  the  second,  and  22  per  cent  more  than 
the  third:  in  capacity  of  lungs  the  first  group  gains  77 
per  cent  more  than  the  second,  and  49.5  per  cent  more 
than  the  third." 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  advantages  of  growth 
are  all  in  favor  of  the  non-smoker.  At  the  time  of  en- 
trance, the  non-smokers  were  more  than  one  year  (IS 
months)  younger  than  the  smokers,  yet  they  surpassed 


im  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

them  in  lung-  capacity  by  eighty  cubic  centimeters 
(about  five  cubic  inches).  Calculated  at  the  same  age 
according-  to  the  observed  rate  of  growth,  the  non- 
smokers  would  possess  one  hundred  eighty  cubic  centi- 
meters greater  lung  capacity  than  the  smokers.  In 
other  words,  smoking  is  here  shown  to  be  associated 
with  a  reduction  in  lung  capacity  of  fully  five  per  cent 
of  the  normal.  Furthermore,  the  smokers,  who  were 
already  deficient  upon  entering  the  university,  fell 
farther  and  farther  behind  the  non-smokers  during  the 
three  years  of  residence. 

It  is  now  quite  generally  admitted  even  among 
smokers  that  the  use  of  tobacco  by  adolescents  is  highly 
injurious,  and  should  be  discouraged.  Most  smokers 
will  admit  that  tobacco  is  injurious  to  some  adults, 
especially  those  of  highly  nervous  temperament.  De- 
fenderes  of  tobacco,  however,  commonly  argue  that 
many  individuals,  especially  those  of  robust  physique, 
are  virtually  immune. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  question  in  the  entire 
tobacco  problem  is  this:  "Are  the  ill  effects  of  the 
use  of  tobacco  limited  to  adolescents,  to  those  who  have 
an  idiosyncrasy  against  it.  and  to  those  who  use  it  ex- 
cessively, or  does  it  injure  everyone  who  uses  it,  even 
the  most  physically  perfect?" 

Young  and  middle-aged  men  of  the  robust  type  al- 
most universally  declare  that  the  tobacco  habit  is  doing 
them  no  harm,  yet  there  are  multitudes  of  such  men. 
now  grown  old,  who  willingly  admit  that  their  lives 
would  have  been  far  better  without  it.  There  assuredly 
is  a  reason  for  the  fact  that  no  one  ever  heard  an  old 


PHYSICAL  ACTIVITY  1<>1 

man  advise  a  young  one  to  smoke.  And,  furthermore, 
middle-aged  men  almost  never  encourage  others  to  take 
up  the  habit.  Every  non-smoker  lias  had  the  experi- 
ence of  refusing  tobacco  proffered  him,  and  of  receiving 
the  reply,  "Well,  you  are  better  off  without  it". 

With  a  view  to  ascertaining  the  effect  of  smoking 
upon  the  very  strongest  types  of  men,  the  present  writer 
recently  requested  the  athletic  coaches  of  several  Amer- 
ican universities  to  co-operate  with  him  in  an  investi- 
gation of  the  matter.  The  subjects  selected  for  this 
purpose  were  football  men, — men  who  are  everywhere 
regarded  as  practically  the  height  of  physical  perfec- 
tion. Tn  most  institutions  even  the  slightest  defect  is 
sufficient  to  bar  a  candidate  from  participation.  If  any 
argument  is  necessary  to  convince  the  average  business 
man  of  the  high  physical  standards  required  of  can- 
didates for  position  on  American  football  teams,  he 
need  only  apply  for  examination.  The  great  bulk  of 
American  business  men.  and  for  that  matter  the  great 
bulk  of  all  Americans,  are  wholly  unprepared  for  such 
work. 

The  principal  reason  for  asking  the  co-operation  of  a 
large  number  of  coaches  obviously  was  to  obtain  the 
records  of  a  great  many  men;  averages,  of  course,  are 
much  more  reliable  where  large  numbers  are  involved. 

The  blank  forms  sent  out  to  the  various  athletic  di- 
rectors provided  spaces  for  the  following  data:  age. 
weight,  lung  capacity,  and  other  more  or  less  important 
information.  The  students  were  .also  to  be  designated  as 
"smokers"  or  "non-smokers".  The  following  footnote 
appeared  on  each  blank.      "By  'smoker'  is  meant  one 


102  TOBACCO  AND    I  UMAX    EFFICIENCY 

who  habitually  smokes  when  not  in  training  and  not 
an  individual  who  indulges  at  very  infrequent  inter- 
vals." In  the  matter  of  "try  outs"  the  coaches- were 
asked  to  state  how  many  smokers  and  how  many  non- 
smokers  participated,  and  how  many  of  each  group 
were  successful  in  "making  the  team". 

It  will  not  he  possihle  to  include  a  constant  number 
of  institutions  or  men  in  each  of  the  items  following, 
as  the  blanks  which  were  returned  were  only  partially 
filled  in;  some  of  the  institutions  supplied  one  series  of 
data  and  some  another.  In  the  item  of  "try  outs"  six 
institutions  reported  on  210  men ;  in  the  item  of  "smok- 
ers or  non-smokers"  fourteen  institutions  reported  on 
237  men;  and  six  institutions  reported  108  men  with 
respect  to  "lung  capacity".  In  each  of  the  items  fol- 
lowing the  number  of  men  involved  will  be  designated 
and  also  the  number  of  institutions  from  which  they 
were  reported. 

The  accompanying  table  gives  the  names  of  the  in- 
stitutions co-operating  and  the  number  of  smokers  and 
non-smokers  in  each.  Very  incomplete  data  were  sub- 
mitted by  three  other  institutions,  two  of  which  ap- 
pended notes  to  the  effect  that  the  information  was  not 
wholly  reliable.  In  the  third  institution  the  football 
squad  contained  no  smokers.  It  may  be  well  to  state 
that  the  University  of  Utah  is  not  included  in  any  of 
the  computations,  as  the  team  contained  no  smokers, 
and,  further,  not  any  of  the  men  who  tried  for  posi- 
tions were  smokers. 


PHYSICAL  ACTIVITY  J03 

Non- 
Institution.                      Smokers,  smokers.    Total. 

Amherst  College 9  9  18 

Drake  University    2  9  11 

Haverfonl  College    4  17  21 

Michigan    Agricultural    College     3  14  17 

Northwestern  University 12  5  17 

Tulane  University 7  14  21 

U.  S.  Naval  Academy 7  5  12 

University  of  Colorado 5  7  12 

University  of  Kansas 10  9  19 

University  of  Montana 12  7  19 

University  of  Pennsylvania  ...    12  12  24 

University  of  Tennessee 11  10  21 

Western  Maryland  College....      7  12  19 

Yankton  University    8  9  17 


109  139  248 

As  stated,  six  institutions  furnished  data  relating  to 
the  "try  outs".  A  total  of  210  men  contested  for  posi- 
tions on  the  first  teams;  of  this  number  93  were 
smokers  and  117  were  non-smokers.  Of  those  who 
were  successful  31  were  smokers  and  77  were  non- 
smokers.  The  following  tabulation  will  make  tin's 
matter  clear : 

Try  Outs. 

Number  Number  Per  cent 

Competing  Successful  Successful 

Smokers    93               31  33.3 

Non-smokers    117              77  65.8 

Six  institutions  reporting. 


104  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

1 1  will  be  observed  that  scarcely  one-half  as  many 
smokers  as  non-smokers  were  successful.  The  con- 
clusion that  smokers  stand  but  little  chance  with  non- 
smokers  in  obtaining  places  on  football  squads  is  shown 
not  only  by  the  total  of  the  six  institutions,  but  by  each 
of  the  six  institutions.  In  the  following  tabulation  the 
inferiority  of  the  smokers  is  shown  in  every  case : 

Number  Number  Per  cent 

Competing      Successful      Successful 
for  place 

Institution  A 

Smokers    11  2  18.2 

Non-smokers    19  11  57.9 

Institution  B 

Smokers    10  4  40 

Non-smokers    25  17  68 

Institution  C 

Smokers    28  7  25 

Non-smokers    17  14  82 

Institution  D 

Smokers    28  11  39.3 

Non-smokers    15  10  66.6 

Institution  E 

Smokers    10  7  70 

Non-smokers    15  12  80 

Institution    F 

Smokers    6  0  0 

Non-smokers    26  15  57.7 

The  following  table  shows  the  relation  between 
smoking  and  lung  capacity: 


PHYSICAL  ACTIVITY  105 

No.         Av.  Wt.  Av.  Age        Av.  Lung  Cap. 

Smokers    ..    47  162.9  lbs.  21.06  yrs.  286.3  cu.  in. 

Non-smokers  61  159.6  lbs.  20.88  yrs.  308.9  cu.  in. 

Difference  .  3.3  lbs.  .18  yrs.  22.6  cu.  in. 

Six    institutions  reporting". 

It  will  be  observed  that  although  the  smokers  are 
3.3  pounds  heavier  and  two  months  older  yet  their 
lung"  capacity  is  22.6  cubic  inches  below  that  of  the 
non-smokers.  Inasmuch  as  the  smokers  are  heavier 
than  the  non-smokers  their  lung-  capacity  should,  from 
the  law  of  averages,  be  correspondingly  greater.  The 
following  computation  is  based  upon  the  weight  and 
lung  capacity  of  the  non-smoker. 

Non-smoker's  lung  capacity  at  159.6  pounds  is  308.9 

cubic  inches. 
Smoker's  lung  capacity  at  162.9  pounds  is  286.3  cubic 

inches. 
Smoker's   lung   capacity   at    162.-9  pounds   should   be 

315-3  cubic  inches. 
Smoker's  loss  in  lung  capacity  is  29.0  cubic  indies,  or 

0.2  per  cent  of  normal. 

In  its  effect  upon  lung  capacity  the  habit  of  smoking 
stands  strongly  indicted.  Idie  evidence  just  presented 
seems  to  be  nothing  less  than  proof  positive,  especially 
when  it  is  noted  in  the  following  table  that  the  smokers 
show  a  decided  loss  in  lung  capacity  in  every  one  of  the 
six  institutions  reporting: 


106  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

Av.   weight  Ay.  lung  Loss  in 

in  pounds  capacity  Lung 

T       .       .          .  in  cu.  in.  capacitj 

LnstltUtlOn    A  in  cu.  in". 

Non-smokers    .161.8  289.1 

Smokers    167.4  284.3 

Smokers   at    ..167.4  should  have  299.1  14.8 

Institution  B 

Non-smokers    .161.3  287 

Smokers    166.8  291 

Smokers   at    ..166.8  should  have  296.8  5.8 

Institution  C 

Non-smokers    .159.7  357 

Smokers    156  336.6 

Smokers   at    ..156      should  have  348.9  12.3 

Institution  D 

Non-smokers    .170.2  ?,33>^ 

Smokers    175.3  313 

Smokers   at    ..175.3   should  have  343.8  30.8 

Institution  E 

Non-smokers    .149.3  296.7 

Smokers    152.5  264.3 

Smokers   at    ..152.5   should  have  303  33.7 

Institution  F 

Non-smokers    .157.7  278 

Smokers    158.7  268.1 

Smokers   at    ..158.7   should  have  27^.$  11.7 

This  investigation  of  the  comparative  standing  of 
smokers  and  non-smokers  in  American  football  squads 
has  brought  out  at  least  two  important  points:  first. 
that  only  half  as  many  smokers  as  non-smokers  are 
successful  in  "making  the  team",  or.  in  other  words, 
the  habit  of  smoking  reduces  one's  chances  of  success 


PHYSICAL  ACTIVITY  107 

just  fifty  per  cent,  and,  second,  that  smoking  is  associ- 
ated with  loss  in  lung  capacity  of  {\2  per  cent.  I  hese 
figures  possess  the  double  reliability  of  not  only  being" 
the  results  of  averages,  but  of  holding  true  in  every  in- 
stitution. There  might  be  some  ground  for  question- 
ing the  reliability  of  these  figures  if  the  number  of  men 
examined  were  small,  or  perhaps,  if  they  all  came 
from  one  institution,  but  involving  as  they  do  a  large 
number  of  men  living  in  nearly  every  section  of  the 
United  States,  and  measured  by  a  number  of  exam- 
iners, all  of  whom  independently  found  the  same  con- 
ditions, there  apparently  can  be  no  room  for  doubting 
the  findings. 

These  figures  mean  much  to  the  writer  in  account- 
ing for  the  delinquencies  of  smokers  in  field  work. 
Aside  from  the  fact  that  tobacco  actually  predisposes 
against  physical  activity,  here  is  positive  proof  of  the 
users'  inferiority  fin  long  distance  endurance  tests,  even 
iii  the  case  of  normal  individuals,  the  lungs  gave  wav 
before  other  organs  of  the  body.  The  long  distance  run- 
ner does  not  fall  at  the  tape  primarily  because  his  legs 
are  unable  to  sustain  his  body,  but  because  his  lungs 
have  riot  been  able  to  supply  the  body  with  sufficient 
oxygen.  It  would,  therefore,  be  useless  to  expect  that 
smokers,  with  practically  ten  per  cent  reduction  in  lung- 
capacity  can  successfully  compete  with  non-smokers  in 
long   distance   endurance    tests. 

Another  valuable  lesson  can  be  learned  from  these 
figures.  They  prove  that  the  flower  of  American  man- 
hood is  injured  even  by  a  moderate  use  of  tobacco. 
Certainly  there  is  no  room  left  for  argument  as  to  its 
effect  upon  the  average  man. 


103  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

And  these  findings  are  by  no  means  an  exception. 
Scores  of  investigations  have  shown  the  same  thing;  in 
fact  no  investigation,  relating  to  the  effect  of  tobacco 
upon  physical  development,  has  yet  been  made  in  which 
tobacco  has  not  been  found  to  be  closely  associated  with 
a  wide  variety  of  physical  weaknesses. 

It  is  no  wonder,  therefore,  that  athletic  directors  and 
coaches  everywhere  are  declaiming  against  its  use:  if  it 
were  necessary  a  volumn  of  testimony  could  be  obtained 
from  them,  and  not  one  of  them  would  have  a  word  of 
praise  for  it. 

The  following  interesting  story  was  recently  told 
by  "Eddie"  Collins,  the  great  second-baseman  at  the 
time  with  the  Philadelphia  American  team: 

"A  few  years  ago  a  company,  manufacturing  a  cer- 
tain brand  of  cigarettes,  was  very  eager  to  print  Wag- 
ner's (Honus  Wagner,  the  veteran  short-stop  of  the 
Pittsburg  Nationals')  autographed  photograph  on  little 
cards  that  could  be  inserted  in  the  boxes.  They  sent  a 
man  to  see  him  at  his  home  in  Carnegie.  Pennsylvania. 
The  delegate  was  wise  enough  to  secure  an  inter- 
mediary, a  Pittsburg  newspaper  man  who  knew  Wag- 
ner well.  The  newspaper  man  was  to  close  the  deal 
and  receive  a  fat  commission.  He  offered  Wagner 
$500  for  the  use  of  his  name,  then  $1000.  Finally 
he  handed  I  Cans  the  blank  check  and  told  him  to  write 
in  his  own  figures.  'No,'  said  Wagner,  stubbornly. 
'Why  not?'  asked  the  newspaper  man  in  amazement. 
T  thought  all  you  ball  players  were  money  crazy.'  Til 
tell  yon,'  said  Wagner,  'it  isn't  worth  the  money  to  me 
to  encourage  am-  boy  to  smoke  cigarettes.  If  my 
name  and  picture  on  a  card  will  have  that  result,  I'm 


PHYSICAL  ACTIVITY  109 

not  going  to  sign  up,  no  matter  how  high  you  go  with 

your  oilers.*  ' 

Cy  Young,  the  great  baseball  pitcher,  recently  out- 
lined his  attitude  towards  smoking  as  follows: 

"I  smoked  years  ago,  cigars  and  pipe.  I  had  to  quit 
because  of  throat  trouble.  I  found  I  was  much  better 
physically  after  I  quit  smoking.  I  don't  believe  that  any 
athlete  should  smoke  cigarettes,  in  fact  I  can't  see  a  man 
smoking  cigarettes  without  feeling  sorry  for  him.  Cig- 
arettes and  booze — they  get  the  youngsters  who  start  in 
the  game  hoping  to  climb  to  the  top.  Here's  a  piece  of 
advice  to  these  youngsters.  You  can't  hit  .300  in  the 
Red  Eye  League  and  get  by  in  the  big  show.  You 
can't  smoke  cigarettes  and  burn  'em  over  the  pan  with 
telling  effect.  Cigarettes  ruin  more  ball  players  than 
glass  arms  ever  did." 

The  following  testimonies  of  athletic  directors  should 
be  of  interest : 

(i.  A.  May,  Department  of  Physical  Education,  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan : 

"We  strictly  prohibit  the  use  of  tobacco  in  any  form 
for  all  men  in  training  on  our  various  athletic  teams, 
because  of  its  injurious  effects  upon  the  nervous  and 
digestive  systems.  For  the  same  reasons,  the  use  of 
tobacco  in  general  is  discouraged,  especially  during 
the  growing  and  developmental  period  of  life,  in  order 
that  the  best  mental  and  physical  results  may  be  ob- 
tained." 

Fred  Bennion,  Athletic  Director,  Universitv  of 
Montana  : 

"Take  two  boys,  call  them  'A'  and  T>'  of  equal  in- 
telligence, equal   morality,  and  equal   physical   ability, 


110  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

neither  of  them  smoking.  One  of  them,  'A'  does  not 
use  tobacco  in  any  form  during  his  entire  boyhood, 
which  is  the  greatest  period  of  preparation  for  an 
athletic  career.  The  other,  T>\  begins  to  smoke  and 
finally  becomes  a  habitual  user  of  tobacco.  Although 
both  boys  were  equal  in  the  beginning,  the  longer  'B' 
uses  tobacco  the  greater  will  be  the  difference  between 
'A*  and  'J:'.'  in  the  qualities  that  go  to  make  a  good 
athlete.  By  the  time  both  hoys  are  old  enough  to  try 
out  for  a  high  school  or  university  team.  \LV  will  have 
very  little  chance  to  compete  with  'A',  for  'A'  will  have 
better  lungs,  better  heart,  better  thinking  ability,  and 
more  moral  courage  to  play  fair.  A  boy  has  small 
chance  of  becoming  a  successful  athlete  if  he  uses 
tobacco  in  any  form." 

Jacob  Bolin,  late  Professor  of  Physical  Education, 
I ' Diversity  of  Utah  : 

"Tobacco  in  any(^j^rm^-cigarettes.  cigars,  pipe, 
chewing — destroys  a  JiiiAvs  chance  of  becoming  a  prom- 
inent athlete,  because  it  destroys  his  'wind',  that  is,  his 
endurance,  and  his  'nerve',  that  is,  his  steadiness.  The 
smoker  has  upon  the  average  only  three  quarters  as 
much  endurance  as  the  one  who  does  not  smoke.  This 
is  proven  in  several  colleges.  The  smoker's  nerve  is 
inferior;  he  cannot  get  off  at  the  sin  it,  or  he  gets  off 
before  hand,  his  mind  is  wandering,  he  is  not  to  be 
relied  upon  at  the  moment,  when  rv^^lbmg  depends 
on  him.". 

It  would  he  well  if  every  man  in  America  could  he 
forced  to  ask  himself,  in  the  light  of  the  foregoing  facts, 
whether  he  can  afford  to  use  tobacco. 


X 

TOBACCO  AND  COLLEGE  SCHOLARSHIP 

It  is  held  by  many  educators  that  one  of  the  most 
serious  and  widespread  problems  now  facing  American 
universities  and  colleges  is  the  use  of  tobacco  among 

students.  No  investigation  touching-  the  influence 
of  tobacco  has  yet  been  reported  in  which  smoking 
in  general  is  associated  with  high  scholastic  standing. 
It  is  only  rarely  the  case  that  heavy  tobacco  users 
attain  to  positions  of  honor  in  college  life.  It  is  every- 
where reported,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  great  mass 
of  those  failing  in  their  work  are  smokers.  The  fol- 
lowing statement  of  PresideiiL^A.  R.  Taylor __of  the 
James  Millikan  University  gives  a  fair  insight  into 
present  conditions  : 

"Permit  me  to  say  that  in  an  epxerience  of  fortv- 
one  years  with  some  20,000  students.  I  have  seldom 
seen  habitual  users  of  tobacco  on  the  scholastic  lienor 
list  nor  many  of  them  winning  Eorensie  p-riaes,  On 
the  contrary  almost  all  the  squads  of  delinquents,  both 
scholastically  and  ethically,  have  been  habitual  users 
of  the  weed,  the  cigarette  predominating.  Experience 
soon  taught  me  to  eliminate  them  at  once  from  among 
the  candidates  applying  for  faculty  appointments,  for 
a  large  majority  of  them,  living  sedentary  lives,  had 
proved  excessively  nervous,  erratic  in  their  habits  and 
unreliable  in  many  ways.  Some  of  them  were  excellent 
and  popular  instructors,  but  when  their  life  work  was 


112  TOr.ACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

approaching  its  best,  broke  down  and  left  their  posi- 
tions, ostensibly  on  account  of  ill  health.  I  know  it  true 
of  two  otherwise  fine  fellows,  who  in  their  early  prime 
left  their  chairs  recently,  one  of  them  dying  inside  a  few 
weeks ;  their  intimate  friends  ascribed  it  to  the  long 
time,  excessive  use  of  cigarettes  and  strong  cigars." 

The  tobacco  problem  in  colleges  has  become  so  seri- 
ous that  at  a  recent  national  educational  gathering  in 
California  President  Jordan  said  that  it  would  be  far 
"better  if  college  presidents  did  not  smoke  because  of 
the  bad  example  that  is  being  set  students,  not  alone 
in  using  tobacco  but  in  lacking  the  self-restraint  not 
to  cast  aside  a  habit  they  know  or  should  know  to  be 
harmful." 

The  following  quotations,  selected  at  random  from 
more  than  fifty  in  the  writer's  possession,  convey  a  fair 
impression  of  the  experience  university  presidents 
have  had  and  are  having  with  the  tobacco  problem  : 

Frank  B,  Fretter.  Acting  President,  West  Virginia 
University,  says : 

"Our  experience  is  the  common  experience;  that  is. 
those  addicted  to  the  use  of  tobacco,  especially  cigar- 
ettes, are  generally  poor  students." 

F,  W.  McNair,  President  Michigan  College  of 
Alines,  Houghton,  Mich.,  gives  the  results  of  his  ex- 
perience thus  : 

"In  a  long  career  I  .have  had  frequently  to  insist  that 
students  must  reduce  their  consumption  of  tobacco 
if  they  proposed  to  carry  their  college  work.  It  has 
been  a  matter  of  remark  of  this  faculty  for  years  that 


Tl  >BACC<  )  WD  COLLEGE  SCHOLARSHIP        113 

any  large  use  of  tobacco  lowers  a  student's  mental 
efficiency." 

Henry  A.  Buchtel,  Chancellor  University  of  Denver. 
University   Park,   Colorado,   recently   wrote: 

"I  have  observed,  as  all  educational  people  have  ob- 
served.  that  students  who  are  tobacco  users  are  greatly 
handicapped.  They  are  never  as  efficient  mentally  or 
physically  as  are  those  students  who  are  free  from  this 
enervating  habit." 

James  R.  Day,  Chancellor  Syracuse  University,  New 
York,  says : 

"I  believe  it  (the  tobacco  habit)  is  harmful  and  only 
harmful,  especially  to  young  men  of  college  age,  beside 
being  an  unmitigated  nuisance  and  a  wicked  use  of 
money." 

E.  B.  Bryan,  President  Colgate  University,  Hamil- 
ton, Xew  York,  epitomizes  his  experience  in  the  fol- 
lowing concise  statement: 

"My  observation  of  the  effects  of  tobacco  on  col- 
legians is  that  of  every  other  person — always  hurtful 
and  never  helpful." 

John  C.  Futrall,  President  University  of  Arkansas, 
Fayetteville,  Ark.,  says: 

"I  believe  that  the  use  of  cigarettes  by  boys  and 
immature  persons  is  injurious.  I  think  I  have  observed 
that  most  boys  who  use  cigarettes  to  any  great  ex- 
tent are  injured  thereby.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  use  of 
cigarettes  by  boys  affects  their  mental  alertness,  their 
physical  health,  their  moral  stamina,  and  their  trust- 
worthiness and  reliability." 


114  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

Authorities  inform  us  that  tobacco  acts  as  a  depres- 
sant and  irritant  to  both  body  and  mind,  and,  in  conse- 
quence, it  naturally  should  be  expected  that  its  users  are 
inferior  both  physically  and  mentally  to  abstainers,  a 
condition,  however,  which  tobacco-users  in  general  will 
not  for  an  instant  admit.  It  will  be  shown  later  that 
smokers  even  of  low  mental  calibre  regard  themselves 
as  the  equal  of  the  most  brilliant.  Smokers  usually 
take  it  as  a  matter  of  insolent  affrontery  when  any 
mention  is  made  of  their  inferior  mentality,  and  if  they 
deign  to  reply  at  all  they  ordinarily  do  so  by  pointing 
to  the  fact  that  this  or  that  great  man  is  a  user  of  to- 
bacco, and  that  the  majority  of  business  men  are  also 
adherents. 

Because  of  the  great  variety  of  disturbing  factors 
it  has  been  difficult'  for  investigators  to  determine  the 
exact  comparative  ability  of  smokers  and  non-smokers 
in  their  various  daily  occupations.  In  order  satis- 
factorily to  arrive  at  a  definite  conclusion  concern- 
ing the  effect  of  tobacco  upon  mentality,  an  investiga- 
tion must  compare  men  similar  in  physical  make-up, 
mental  aptitude,  habits  of  eating,  exercise,  recreation 
and  rest,  and  in  fact  similar  in  every  respect  except 
in  the  use  of  tobacco  and  its  effects  upon  them.  In  the 
absence  of  similar  conditions  and  practices  throughout, 
some  single  factor  might  be  sufficient  partially  to  offset 
or  to  accentuate  the  effects  of  the  narcotic.  Such  an 
ideal  homogenous  group  of  individuals  is  of  course 
quite  impossible  to  obtain,  and  in  consequence,  we  shall 
probably  never  be  able  to  measure  the  exact  amount  of 
harm  accomplished  by  tobacco  among  men  in  business 


T<  >BACCO  AND  COLLEGE  SCHOLARSHIP        US 

life.  Yet  as  will  later  appear,  whenever  comparisons 
have  been  made,  the  use  of  tobacco  lias  invariably  been 
coupled  with  inferior  mentality. 

It  should  readily  be  admitted  by  every  thinking-  man 
that  single  instances  of  efficiency  or  lack  of  efficiency 
constitute  no  standard  by  which  to  judge  the  whole. 
The  fact  that  John  Jones  who  was  mentally  brilliant 
at  a  very  advanced  stage,  and  who  was  an  inveterate 
user  or  complete  abstainer,  constitutes  no  argument 
in  favor  or  against  tobacco.  Unfortunately  this  kind 
of  argument  is  altogether  too  commonly  used  by  both 
parties  to  the  tobacco  question.  The  only  satisfactory 
standard  of  judging  such  a  condition  is  by  the  law  of 
averages,  involving  of  course  very  large  numbers  of 
individuals;  absolute  accuracy  is  then  obtainable 
only  when  an  infinite  number  is  involved.  It  is  pos- 
sible, however,  with  a  relatively  small  number  to  ar- 
rive at  conclusions  which  for  all  practical  purposes  are 
fully  as  useful  as  the  more  exact  ones.  If,  for  instance, 
it  were  shown  by  the  average  of  one  hundred  cases 
that  tobacco  increased  or  decreased  the  efficiencv  by  sav 
ten  per  cent,  such  a  figure  would  be  equallv  as  service- 
able as  one  of  ten  and  one-eighth  per  cent  derived  from 
the  examination  of  a  million  men.  The  point  is  this: 
conclusions  based  upon  single  individuals  are  not  re- 
liable; absolute  precision  can  be  obtained  only  from  an 
infinite  number,  but  for  all  practical  purposes  service- 
able conclusions  can  be  obtained  from  a  relatively  large 
number. 

It  should  be  noted,  therefore,  that  absolute  pre- 
cision is  not  claimed  for  any  of  the  following  figures 


116  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

relating  to  the  association  of  tobacco  and  low  men- 
tality; they  may  he  slightly  too  high  or  too  low,  but 
sufficient  individuals  have  in  each  case  been  used  so 
that  the  law  of  averages  makes  them  sufficiently  exact 
for  all  practical  purposes.  While  there  seems  to  be  no 
direct  means  at  hand  of  determining  the  precise  men- 
tali  tv  of  smokers  and  non-smokers  in  commercial  life, 
vet  among  students  in  the  grades,  in  the  high  schools 
and  in  the  colleges  such  comparisons  are  easily  and  ac- 
curately made.  If  it  is  found  that  the  use  of  tobacco 
reduces  the  mentality  of  not  only  the  immature  children 
of  the  grades  but  that  of  the  mature  and  most  physi- 
cally perfect  college  men,  then  cerainly  individuals  out- 
side of  college  cannot  claim  immunity  to  its  poisonous 
effects. 

In  searching  for  a  field  in  which  disturbing  factors 
are  removed,  and  in  which  these  arguments  would  not 
apply,  it  occurred  to  the  present  writer  that  the  college 
football  squad  fulfills  practically  every  requirement. 
In  the  first  place  the  men  are  all  athletes  approaching 
physical  perfection,  a  fact  which  tends  to  unify  their 
mental  attitude  as  well  as  their  physical.  Training 
rules  make  the  same  requirements  of  all ;  they  eat  the 
same  kind  of  food,  they  take  the  same  amount  of  ex- 
ercise and  recreation,  and  the  same  amount  of  sleep. 
Of  recent  years  the  eligibility  rules  have  made  it  well- 
nigh  impossible  for  transcients  and  low-scholarship 
men  to  "make  the  team";  the  regulations  require  all 
men  to  carry  full  courses,  not  only  during  the  year  of 
participation,  but  also  during  the  previous  year.     Soci- 


TOBACCO  AND  COLLEGE  SCH<  >l. A  RSI  1 1  I'         117 

ally  and  in  every  other  respect  the  football  men  form  a 
group  just  about  as  homogenous  as  could  be  desired. 
Because  of  the  absence  of  practically  all  disturbing 
factors  the  present  writer  selected  these  men  as  the  sub- 
ject of  an  investigation. 

From  the  outset  it  was  quite  apparent  that  reliable 
conclusions  could  not  be  drawn  from  a  group  of  men  as 
small  as  that  comprising  a  single  football  squad,  and, 
in  consequence,  a  number  of  the  larger  American  uni- 
versities and  colleges  were  asked  to  co-operate  in  the 
matter.  Uniform  blanks  were  sent  out  to  the  various 
athletic  directors  calling  for  data  relating  to  age, 
weight,  lung-  capacity,  and  scholastic  standing  together 
with  other  more  or  less  important  information.  The 
students  were  to  be  designated  as  "smokers"  or  "non- 
smokers". 

The  following  data  relating  to  scholarship,  and  in- 
volving a  total  of  182  men,  were  supplied  by  twelve 
American  universities  and  colleges  situated  in  various 
sections  of  the  United  States: 

No.  of  Men.  Total  Marks.  Average  Mark. 

Smokers     SI  6,034  74.5% 

Non-smokers    101  8,021  79.4% 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  smokers  average  4.9% 
below  the  non-smokers.  From  the  following  table  it 
can  be  seen  that  the  smokers  are  inferior  in  each  of  the 
twelve  institutions,  a  fact  which  strongly  indicates  that 
smokers  are  universally  inferior: 


118  TOBACCO  AND   II UMAX   EFFICIENCY 


Non- 

Non- 

institution. 

Smoker. 

smoker.  I  institution. 

Smoker. 

smoker. 

A  

..   65.  1 

69.8 

G  .... 

..    74.0 

75.0 

B   

.  .   64.7 

74.6 

H  ..  .. 

.  .    75.2 

79.4 

C   

.  .   78.8 

81.1 

I    .... 

..    81.6 

88.4 

D  • 

..   7.5.8 

77.6 

T    .... 

.  .    7*.~? 

81.3 

E   

.  .   84.6 

84.8 

K  . .  . . 

..    74.0 

84.6 

F   

.  .   69.6 

71.3 

L   ..  .. 

..    77.3 

77.6 

A  tabulation  of  each  of  the  reports  coming  from  the 
twelve  institutions,  shows  that  the  smokers  furnish  71 
per  cent  of  the  lowest  marks,  and  the  non-smokers  only 
29  per  cent.  The  smokers  furnish  31  per  cent  of  the 
highest  marks,  and  the  non-smokers  69  per  cent.  These 
figures  are  based  upon  an  equal  number  in  each  class. 

When  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  these  men  constitute 
the  most  nearly  physically  perfect  type  of  manhood, 
that  in  order  to  be  eligible  they  must  be  good  standard 
students,  and  that  (hiring  the  athletic  season,  at  least. 
they  are  all  required  to  observe  certain  specific  regula- 
tions with  respect  to  diet,  exercise  and  recreation,  it 
must  be  apparent  that  the  results  of  this  investigation 
as  below  summarized  constitute  but  little  short  of  com- 
plete proof  that  tobacco  is  conducive  to  low  scholarship. 

1.  The  smokers'  marks  are  lower  than  the  non- 
smokers'  in  every  one  of  the  twelve  institutions  re- 
porting. 

2.  The  average  difference  in  percentage  is  4.9. 
Using  the  non-smokers  as  a  standard,  tin's  means  that 
the  use-  of  tobacco  reduces  the  mentality  of  the  highest 
type  of  physical  manhood  a  little  more  than  six  per 
cent. 


TOBACCO  AND  COLLEGE  SCHOLARSHIP        119 

3.  Smokers  furnish  less  than  one-third  of  the  mc*t 
successful  students,  and  more  than  two-thirds  of  the 
poorest  ones. 

For  the  purpose  of  further  ascertaining  the  con- 
nection between  smoking  and  scholarship  the  pres- 
ent writer  recently  undertook  an  investigation  involv- 
ing one  hundred  male  students  at  the  University  of 
I  "tali.  A  mature  and  wholly  reliable  upper-classman 
was  asked  to  bring  in  the  names  of  fifty  smokers  and 
fifty  non-smokers:  he  was  kept  ignorant  of  the  pur- 
pose for  which  they  were  to  be  used.  After  the  two 
lists  were  completed  the  writer  personally  examined 
the  records  of  each  of  the  students  and  listed  the  find- 
ings. The  average  results,  however,  were  so  .disparag- 
ing to  the  smokers  that  the  writer  concluded  some 
mistake  must  have  been  made.  It  appeared  possible 
that  the  student  preparing  the  lists  may  have  discerned 
the  purpose  for  which  they  were  wanted  and  had  be- 
come biased  in  his  selection.  The  results  were  re- 
garded as  unreliable,  and  in  consequence  were  not  made 
public. 

The  following  year  another  investigation  was  under- 
taken, this  time  involving  every  male  student  at  the 
institution.  In  order  to  avoid  bias  or  personal  preju- 
dice in  the  designation  of  students  as  smokers  or  non- 
smokers,  a  committee  was  chosen,  consisting  of  twelve 
to  fifteen  students  ranging  from  sophomores  to  grad- 
uates, half  of  whom  were  smokers  and  half  non- 
smokers.  The  committee,  with  the  writer  present, 
agreed  that  the  following  regulations  would  govern  its 
decisions  : 


120  TOBACCO   AND   I  IT. MAX    EFFICIENCY 

All  designations  must  be  made  by  unanimous  ap- 
proval. 

Only  habitual  users  shall  he  designated  "smokers". 

Only  complete  abstainers  shall  he  designated  "non- 
smokers". 

Occasional  users  shall  he  eliminated. 

Individuals  whose  personal  habits  are  not  known  to 
the  committee  shall  also  be  eliminated. 

The  committee  went  through  the  list  of  students  as 
published  in  the  catalogue,  name  by  name,  designating 
them  as  "smokers",  "non-smokers"  or  subjects  for 
elimination.  Occasionally  a  question  arose  as  to  the 
exact  group  into  which  an  individual  should  be  placed, 
and  if  agreement  could  not  he  reached  he  was  elimin- 
ated from  consideration.  As  a  whole  the  work  pro- 
ceeded with  marked  dispatch  and  harmony. 

At  this  point  it  will  he  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  all 
of  the  students  involved  in  this  investigation  were 
unanimously  passed  upon  by  a  sworn  committee  of 
smokers  and  non-smomkers,  who  were  acquainted  with 
the  personal  habits  of  each  individual  in  question,  and, 
therefore,  that  personal  bias  of  any  kind  has  been 
av<  tided. 

As  in  the  previous  investigation,  the  official  record 
of  each  student  was  examined  and  the  results  trans- 
ferred to  blanks  providing  space  for  the  following  in- 
formation: Name  of  student,  number  of  credit-hours 
tor  which  registered,  number  of  credit-hours  obtained. 
withdrawals,  conditions,  failures,  incomplete  work,  and 
grades  in  per  cent.  'The  cards  were  then  independ- 
ently checked  by  two  assistants. 


TOBACCO  AND  COLLEGE  SCHOLARSHIP        121 

'At  the  University  of  Utah  sixteen  Injurs  of  work 
each  semester,  or  thirty-two  hours  per  year,  are  regard- 
ed as  a  substantial  course.  Students  are  not  permitted 
to  register  for  more  than  thirty-six  hours  per  year  ex- 
cept by  special  permission.  At  the  time  of  tin's  inves- 
tigation the  grades  were  reported  by  instructors  in  per- 
centages. Students  were  also  grouped  as  "classified" 
and  "unclassified",  depending  upon  whether  or  not  they 
had  met  entrance  and  other  specific  requirements.  The 
following  table  shows  the  number,  distribution,  and 
scholastic  standing  of  the  smokers  and  non-smokers: 

Credit-hrs.      Credit-hrs.     Grade 
Smokers.  No.  Registered  for.  Obtained.   Credits.  Grade. 

Unclassified..    19  33.4  15.3       1103  72.1% 

Classified     ...   42  35.8  24.0       1876  78.2% 


Total   ....   61  Ay.  35.0  21.3  1636  76.8% 

Non-Smokers. 

Unclassified  .  .   43  36.8  28.4  2206  77.7% 

Classified     ...129  35.6  30.5  2429  79.6% 


Total   ....172    Av.  35.9  29.9       2373  79.4% 

It  is  of  interest  to  observe  that  the  smokers  regis- 
tered for  35.0  credit-hours  of  work  and  obtained  credit 
upon  the  official  records  for  only  21.3  hours,  or  60.9% 
of  the  whole,  while  the  non-smokers  registered  for  35. () 
credit-hours  and  obtained  credit  for  2().9  hours  or 
83.3'  I  of  the  whole. 


122  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

Furthermore,  aside  from  completing  much  less  work 
than  the  non-smokers,  the  smokers  did  it  less  efficiently, 
as  shown  in  the  column  at  the  extreme  right.  Both 
quality  and  quantity  are  taken  into  account  in  the  col- 
umn headed  "grade-credits",  of  which  the  average 
smoker  secured  1636  and  the  average  non-smoker  237 i. 
In  other  words  the  smokers  actually  performed  and 
secured  credit  for  31.1'/  less  work  than  the  non- 
smokers. 

Other  data  secured  in  this  investigation  show  just 
about  the  same  degree  of  inferiority  among  the 
smokers.  For  convenience  in  comparison,  the  figures 
in  the  following  table  are  based  upon  an  equal  number 
(172)  of  students  in  each  group: 

SMOKERS.  NON-SMOKERS. 

No.  of       Average  No.  of       Average 

Hours,  per  Student.  I  tours,  per  Student. 
Withdrawals  from 

class    425  2.5  204  1.2 

Conditions    569  3.3  294  1.7 

Failures    104  .6  31  .2 

Incomplete  work    .161  .9  62  .3 

Xo  marks 9,58  5.6  392  2.3 

Dropped  from  class   100  .6  23  .1 


Delinquencies.  .2326       13.5  1006  5.8 

The  disparity  in  these  figures  is  quite  in  harmony 

with  that  previously  presented,  as  shown  by  the  fact 
that  smokers  furnish  nearly  two  and  one-half  times  as 
many  deficiencies  as  the  non-smokers. 


TOBACCO  AND  COLLEGE  SCHOLARSHIP        123 

Only  sixteen  per  cent  of  the  smokers  completed  all 
of  the  work  for  which  they  were  registered,  while 
thirty-one  per  cent  of  the  non-smokers  presented  com- 
plete records. 

Four,  out  of  the  sixty-one  smokers,  were  dropped 
from  the  institution  because  of  unsatisfactory  work; 
not  a  single  individual  of  the  one  hundred  seventy  two 
non-smokers  was  thus  dropped. 

Mention  was  made  at  the  beginning  of  this  section 
that  the  results  obtained  from  an  investigation  con- 
ducted the  previous  year  and  involving  fifty  smokers 
and  fifty  non-smokers  were  regarded  as  unreliable  be- 
cause of  what  appeared  to  be  a  pronounced  inferiority 
of  the  smokers.  The  accuracy  of  these  figures,  how- 
ever, is  confirmed  by  the  second  investigation  involving 
a  much  larger  number  of  students. 

The  principal  value  of  this  inquiry  lies  in  the  fact 
that  it  undertakes  to  determine  the  percentage  of  work 
completed  of  the  amount  undertaken.  Most  other  in- 
vestigations have  sought  to  ascertain  only  the  relative 
quality  of  work  completed.  Tt,  of  course,  has  been 
known  for  a  long  time  that  smokers  do  inferior  work. 
yet  it  is  certainly  nothing  short  of  startling  to  learn 
that,  in  this  case  at  least,  they  actually  complete  thirty- 
one  per  cent  less  work  than  the  non-smokers. 

Individuals  most  vigorously  opposed  to  the  use  of 
tobacco  had  scarcely  believed  that  its  ill  effects  are  so 
intense,  especially  among  practically  mature  men. 

Some  few  years  ago,  Mr.  E.  T..  Clarke  of  Clark  Col- 
lege, Worcester.  Massachusetts,  undertook  a  study  of 
the  effects  of  smoking  on  students  of  that  institution. 


124  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

All  of  the  men  involved  in  the  investigation  were  in 
attendance  between  the  years  1906  and  1909  and  were 
representative  of  practically  every  social  class.  They 
were  regarded,  however,  as  the  scholarship  type 
rather  than  the  athletic. 

The  designation  of  the  class  (smoker  or  non- 
smoker)  to  which  each  belonged  was  left  largely 
with  the  individual  concerned.  Tn  consequence  .of 
the  fact  that  many  young  men  are  loath  to  admit 
the  use  of  tobacco,  it  may  be  the  case  that  a  few 
smokers  are  actually  classified  in  the  non-smokers" 
group.  A  point  of  interest,  however,  is  that  no  ab- 
stainer is  willing  to  classify  himself  as  a  user,  and.  in 
consequence,  dependence  may  be  placed  upon  the  state- 
ment that  all  men  listed  "habitual  smokers"  actually 
belong  where  they  are  placed.  "Mr.  Clarke  reports  that 
in  their  preference  for  pipes  or  cigarettes  the  men 
were  about  equally  divided.  The  results  of  the  classi- 
fication follow : 

Number      Percentage 
of  Men.  of  the  Whole 

Habitual   smokers    41  20.4 

Occasional  smokers 52  25.9 

Non-smokers    108  53.7 


201  100. 

'I  he  mental  ability  of  the  men  was  based  upon  the 
grades  they  had  received,  these  in  the  case  of  seniors 
being  their  final  marks,  and  of  under-classmen  the  last 


T(  >RACCO   WD  C(  (LLEGE  SUM  )  I.  A  RSI  1 1  P        125 

semester's  marks.  The  grades  were  properly  eval- 
uated according  to  the  quality  of  the  work  accom- 
plished and  the  extent  of  the  courses. 

Students  not  carrying  sufficient  work  to  make  pos- 
sible their  graduation  in  the  prescribed  time  (three 
years)  were  designated  as  four-year  men.  Note  was 
also  made  of  students  dropped  from  the  institution  for 
"deficiency  in  scholarship  or  for  other  reasons".  The 
following  table  shows  the  scholastic  attainments  of  each 
group : 

Complet-  Dropped 

Grades       ed  in  3      4-year      from  Insti- 
No.         '  i  yrs.  ','         Men  '  '<       tution  '  c 

Habit'l  smokers  41 
Occas'l  smokers  52 
Non-smokers    .108 

A  good  man)-  significant  facts  are  revealed  by  this 
table: 

Tn  addition  to  doing  the  work  five  per  cent  less  effi- 
ciently than  the  non-smokers,  only  61  %  of  the  habitual 
smokers  completed  the  work  on  schedule  time,  while 
94.4$  of  the  non-smokers  so  completed  it. 

The  percentage  of  four-year  men  is  more  than  four 
times  as  great  among  the  habitual  smokers  than  among 
non-smokers. 

The  percentage  of  habitual  smokers  dropped  from 
the  institution  is  more  than  ten  times  as  great  as  that 
of  the  non-smokers. 

Another  part  of  Mr.   Clarke's  study  was  the  cbm- 


78 

61.0 

19.5 

19.5 

79 

84.6 

11.5 

3.8 

83 

94.4 

4.6 

1.9 

126  TOBACCO    \\T>   HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

parison  of  ten  smokers  and  ten  non-smokers.  The 
smokers  constituted  all  of  the  men  in  the  classes  from 
1(H)7  to  1910  who  had  learned  to  smoke  after  coming 
to  college.  At  the  time  of  entranee.  therefore,  all  of 
the  men  were  abstainers.  In  an  effort  to  avoid  unfair- 
ness the  ten  non-smokers  were  chosen  alphabetically  to 
pair  with  the  smokers.  The  following  table  shows  the 
scholastic  standing  of  each  group  at  the  time  of  enter- 
ing and  leaving  college : 

Marks  upon  Marks  upon 
Entering 

per  cent 

Smokers    83 

Non-smokers    Si 

When  the  men.  who  later  became  smokers,  entered 
college,  they  were  slightly  superior  to  the  other  ab- 
stainers, but  upon  beginning  to  smoke  they  lost  ground 
and  were  soon  overtaken  by  the  improving  non- 
smokers,  so  that  at  the  time  of  leaving  college  they 
were  much  poorer  students  than  when  they  entered. 
Specifically,  at  entrance,  the  smokers'  group  stood  one 
per  cent  above  the  non-smokers',  while  at  leaving,  it 
was  eight  per  cent  below,  making  a  relative  loss  of 
nine  per  cent. 

I  hese  figures  would  seem  to  indicate  that  even 
though  the  use  of  tobacco  may  not  be  acquired  until 
early  manhood,  it  has  a  very  powerful  effect  in  reduc- 
ing mental  efficiency. 


1  -eaving 

Change 

per  cent 

per  cent 

76 

—7 

84 

+2 

T(  >BACCO  AND  COLLEGE  SCHOLARSH1  P        127 

Dr.  George  II.  Meylan's  study  of  223  students  at 
Columbia  University  has  developed  a  variety  of  inter- 
esting tacts.  These  students  included  all  of  the  mem- 
bers of  two  classes  whose  records  could  be  obtained,  all 
of  whom  were  freshmen  and  sophomores.  Records 
were  made  at  the  time  of  entering,  and  at  the  end  oi 
two  years,  as  well  as  at  intervals  throughout  the  period. 
Of  the  total  number,  115  or  ?2'/<  were  smokers,  and 
108  or  48  S  were  non-smokers.  The  following  table 
shows  the  standing  of  the  two  groups: 

Age  at    Grades  at        Grades  Failures 

Entrance  Entrance   during  2  yrs.  during  2  yrs. 
Years      percent        percent  No. 

Smokers     18.8         89  62  10 

Non-smokers'..    18.0         91  69  4 

At  the  time  of  entrance  the  smokers  were  nearly  ten 
months  older  than  the  non-smokers,  and  were  two  per 
cent  below  them  in  the  matter  of  scholarship. 
Throughout  the  two  years'  work,  however,  they  fell  to 
seven  per  cent  below  the  non-smokers,  and  furnished 
two  and  one-half  times  as  many  failures.  In  this  con- 
nection it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  average  age  at 
which  the  smokers  acquired  the  habit  was  16.6  years, 
or  2.2  years  before  they  entered  college,  and.  therefore, 
that  these  differences  are  not  the  result  of  cumulative 
effects  extending  over  a  long  period  of  time. 

The  findings  further  show  that  even  among  fra- 
ternity men  whose  social  practices  as  a  whole  are  very 
much  alike,  the  non-smokers  rank  in  scholarship  prac- 
tically ten  per  cent  above  the  smokers. 


128  TOBACCO   AND    I  UMAX    EFFICIENCY 

Dr.  Mevlan  in  summarizing  the  results  of  his  inves- 
tigation says,  "It  has  been  conclusively  shown  in  this 
study  and  also  by  Mr.  Clarke  that  the  use  of  tobacco 
by  college  students  is  closely  associated  with  idleness, 
lack  of  ambition,  lack  of  application,  and  low  scholar- 
ship." 

One  of  the  most  valuable  studies  thus  far  undertaken 
of  the  influence  of  tobacco  upon  mental  efficiency  is  that 
of  Dr.  A.  D.  Bush  of  the  University  of  Vermont.  The 
chief  value  of  his  findings  lies  in  the  fact  that  smoking" 
is  shown  to  be  an  active  factor  in  the  reduction  of 
mental  activity.  Heretofore  when  smokers  were  forced 
to  admit  that  tobacco  and  low  scholarship  go  hand  in 
hand,  they  have  attempted  to  defend  its  use  by  arguing 
that  other  factors  such  as  social  activity  and  athletic 
participation  are  the  real  causes.  They  have  even 
argued  that  students  are  not  low  mentally  because  they 
smoke,  but  that  they  smoke  because  they  are  low  men- 
tally. While  there  may  be  some  truth,  and  probably  is, 
in  both  of  these  arguments,  it  now  seems  to  be  definitely 
shown  the  the  use  of  tobacco  actually  decreases  mental 
efficiency. 

In  order  to  avoid  any  misinterpretation  which  might 
arise  because  of  some  possible  temporary  effect  upon 
abstainers  used  in  such  an  experiment,  it  was  decided  to 
employ  only  regular  smokers.  Originally  twenty-five 
men  were  arranged  for.  but  several  failed  to  complete 
the  experiments  and  others  were  eliminated  because  of 
impartial  attitude.  The  fifteen  men  who  completed  the 
work  were  "medical  students,  ranging  in  age  from 
twenty-one  to  thirty-two  years,  of  varying  previous  ex- 


TOBACCO  AND  COLLEGE  SCHOLARSHIP        129 

perience  from  the  farm  laborer  to  the  life-long  student, 
of  divergent  mental  capacity  from  the  failure  to  the 
honor  student,  and  of  differing  habits  as  to  tobacco  ad- 
diction". A  few  of  this  number  were  regarded  as 
moderate  users,  while  the  others  were  probably  above 
rather  than  below  the  average.  The  pipe  seemed  to  be 
in  general  favor,  although  both  cigars  and  cigarettes 
had  their  devotees. 

The  experiment  was  designed  to  test  the  mental 
ability  of  each  member  of  the  group,  both  before  and 
after  smoking,  and  thus  to  determine  its  influence  upon 
mental  efficiency.  The  tests  were  arranged  in  order, 
the  simplest  first,  so  that  various  functions  ranging 
from  simple  perception  to  simple  reasoning  might  be 
brought  into  play.  The  subjects  were  urged  to  per- 
form the  work  of  each  test  (except  the  seventh)  with 
as  much  dispatch  as  possible.  In  a  few  cases  where 
these  instructions  were  not  rigidly  followed  the  results 
were  eliminated. 

The  work  of  testing  extended  over  a  number  of  days. 
At  a  time  when  each  of  the  subjects  was  reasonably 
free  from  the  effects  of  previous  smoking,  he  was  com- 
fortably seated  and  carried  through  the  tests  a  number 
of  times  ;  the  average  of  the  results  were  taken  as  the 
individual's  response.  Then  he  was  permitted  to 
smoke  quietly  for  a  period  of  fifteen  minutes,  imme- 
diately after  which  he  again  underwent  testing,  and 
an  average  was  obtained  as  before.  The  fifteen  sub- 
jects each  underwent  twelve  (4  and  8  double)  inde- 
pendent experiments,  which,  counting  the  repetitions, 
means  that  1,500  tests  were  made  from  which  to  draw 

10 


130  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

the  final  conclusions.     Tobacco  in  various  forms  and 
of  various  grades  was  employed  at  different  times. 

Dr.  Bush's  summary  relating  to  the  mental  aspect 
of  his  investigation  follows  : 

1.  A  series  of  120  tests  on  each  of  fifteen  men,  in 
several  different  psychic  fields,  show  that  tobacco  smok- 
ing produces  a  10.5  per  cent  decrease  in  mental  effi- 
ciency. 

2.  The  greatest  actual  loss  was  in  the  field  of 
imagery,  twenty-two  per  cent. 

3.  The  three  greatest  losses  were  in  the  fields  of 
imagery,  perception  and  association. 

4.  The  greatest  loss,  in  these  experiments,  occurred 
with  cigarettes. 

It  would  appear,  therefore,  that  the  anxiety  of  the 
university  presidents  is  well  founded.  A  practice  that 
destroys  as  much  as  ten  per  cent  of  a  college  man's 
efficiency  certainly  constitutes  a  menace  that  will  injure 
him  throughout  his  entire  life. 


XI 

ATTITUDE   OF  THE   BUSINESS   WORLD  TOWARDS 
TOBACCO 

Wm.  H.  Allen  in  his  commendable  work  "Civics  and 
Health"  says  concerning  the  tobacco  habit:  "No 
young  man  expects  to  obtain  a  favorable  hearing  if  he 
offers  himself  for  employment  while  smoking  or  chew- 
ing tobacco.  Business  men  dislike  to  receive  tobacco- 
scented  messengers." 

Modern  business  competition  demands  more  and 
more  the  elimination  of  deterring  factors.  Almost 
every  phase  of  commercial  activity  is  striving  for  in- 
creased efficiency.  Mine  operators  are  daily  replacing 
costly  machines  with  others  that  will  perform  the  work 
even  a  few  per  cent  better.  The  equipment  of  mill- 
ing plants  is  constantly  undergoing  replacement.  Fac- 
tories of  every  description  are  being  remodelled.  Im- 
proved devices  are  being  sought  in  every  field  of  com- 
mercial activity.  Factory  superintendents,  merchants, 
salesmen,  engineers  and  traffic  managers  are  every- 
where working  overtime  for  the  elimination  of  waste. 

Practically  every  successful  business  enterprise  em- 
ploys an  efficiency  engineer,  whose  duty  is  to  eliminate 
non-essentials  and  improve  devices.  Efficiency  sur- 
veys in  up-to-date  establishments  are  becoming  essen- 
tial to  continuance  in  business. 

Experience  is  repeatedly  showing  that  the  slightest 


132  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

margin  commonly  stands  between  success  and  failure. 
Establishments  are  failing  daily  which  might  have  re- 
mained in  business  simply  by  increasing  their  efficency 
one  or  two  per  cent.  Success  and  failure  do  not  com- 
monly follow  widely  divergent  paths ;  their  courses 
usually  lie  close  together  and  separated  only  by  a  film 
of  difference.  The  business  world  knows  that  the  effi- 
ciency movement  has  come  to  stay,  and  that  the  ruinous 
half-hearted  methods  of  the  past  can  never  be  re- 
employed. 

Along  with  the  improvement  of  mechanical  devices, 
employers  are  looking  to  the  improvement  of  their  em- 
ployees. Their  habits  are  being  investigated  and  to 
some  extent  regulated.  Business  does  not  regard  a 
fifty-per-cent-effkient  employee  as  a  good  asset,  and,  in 
consequence,  institutions  are  looking  not  only  to  the 
conservation  of  the  health  of  the  employees  but  to  the 
improvement  of  their  health  as  well.  In  some  quarters 
it  has  long  been  suspected  that  the  use  of  tobacco  re- 
duces efficiency  both  mental  and  physical,  but  until  re- 
cently, business  men  have  not  taken  a  very  decided 
stand  against  it.  Today,  however,  a  large  part  of  the 
business  world  is  awakening  to  the  seriousness  of  the 
situation  ,and  a  great  many  of  the  bankers,  manufac- 
turers and  merchants  are  already  protesting  against  it. 

Mr.  O.  S.  Marden,  editor  of  Success  and  author  of 
several  commendable  books,  has  the  following  to  say 
concerning  the  attitude  of  the  business  world  toward 
the  cigarette  habit:  "Cigarette  smoking  is  no  longer 
simply  a  moral  question.  The  great  business  world 
has  taken  it  up  as  a  deadly  enemy  of  advancement  and 


THE  BUSINESS  WORLD  AND  TOBACCO         133 

achievement.  Leading  business  firms  all  over  the 
country  have  put  the  cigarette  on  the  prohibited  list. 
In  Detroit  alone  sixty-one  merchants  have  agreed  not 
to  employ  the  cigarette  user." 

Anyone  investigating  the  matter  for  the  first  time 
will  be  greatly  surprised  to  learn  of  the  widespread 
opposition  among  business  men  to  the  use  of  tobacco 
by  their  employees.  This  is  none  the  less  surprising, 
and  much  more  impressive,  when  it  is  known  that  a 
large  percentage  of  the  business  men  themselves  are 
smokers.  The  greatest  protest  comes,  of  course,  against 
the  cigarette,  and  particularly  when  used  by  boys,  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  there  is  a  rapidly  growing  opposition 
to  tobacco  in  any  form. 

The  chief  objections  that  the  business  world  al- 
most universally  urges  against  this  habit  are  that  it  re- 
duces both  mental  and  physical  ability,  it  blunts  the 
moral  sense  of  right  and  wrong,  and  it  detracts  from 
one's  personal  appearance.  Science  has  repeatedly  shown 
that  the  use  of  tobacco  is  accompanied  by  a  reduction 
of  both  mental  and  physical  activity  by  about  ten  per 
cent,  a  loss  which  is  far  from  permissible  in  enterpris- 
ing establishments.  The  sedative  or  benumbing  effect 
of  tobacco  also  detracts  from  the  moral  sense  of  right 
and  wrong.  Tasks  which  seem  highly  important  be- 
fore smoking  are  often  forgotten  or  passed  over  slightly 
after  indulgence.  It  was  Elbert  Hubbard  who  warned 
the  business  world  against  cigarette  smokers  in  the 
following  language :  "If  you  want  a  man  who  will 
train  on,  flee  the  cigarettist  as  you  would  a  pestilence. 
*****     Never  advance  the  pay  of  a  cigarette 


134  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

smoker — never  promote  him — never  depend  upon  him 
to  carry  a  roll  to  Gomez,  unless  you  do  not  care  for 
Gomez,  and  are  willing  to  lose  the  roll." 

Then  again  the  tobacco  habit  is  positively  repulsive 
to  many  people,  men  as  well  as  women.  No  one  has 
ever  maintained  that  it  adds  to  personal  appearance, 
and,  furthermore,  nearly  every  tobacco  user  loses  sight 
of  the  fact  that  the  odor  is  exceedingly  offensive  to 
non-users,  a  condition  which  must  be  reckoned  with  by 
business  men. 

Following  are  the  opinions  of  a  rather  large  number 
of  America's  leading  financiers,  railroad  men.  manu- 
facturers, merchants,  naturalists  and  bankers.  The  list 
as  it  stands  forms  an  indictment  against  the  tobacco 
habit  which  no  young  man  can  afford  to  disregard. 
The  number  of  quotations  could  be  increased  almost 
indefinitely. 

Financiers.  If  Andrew  Carnegie,  the  noted  finan- 
cier and  philanthropist,  should  appear  in  any  city  in 
the  United  States  to  lecture  upon  the  general  subject 
of  business  success,  every  young  man  in  the  country 
would  be  there  to  hear  him.  The  following  is  a  report 
of  a  public  lecture  that  he  recently  gave  dealing  with 
the  tobacco  habit : 

"There  was  another  danger,  not  to  compare  with  the 
first,  still  it  was  one  which  he  ventured  to  bring  to  their 
attention,  the  use  of  tobacco.  What  was  said  of  liquor 
could  be  said  of  tobacco.  It  could  do  them  no  good, 
that  it  did  many  harm  went  without  saying.  Tt  was 
not  long  ago  considered  a  nice  habit  for  a  gentleman. 
He  had   always  admired   the  young  lady,   who  when 


THE  BUSINESS  WORLD  AND  TOBACCO         135 

asked  if  she  disliked  gentlemen  to  smoke  in  her  pres- 
ence, replied  that  she  didn't  know,  no  gentleman  had 
ever  tried.  He  knew  that  he  spoke  in  this  case  to  a 
host  of  sinners.  Probably  very  few  in  this  audience 
were  saints  in  this  respect,  and,  as  in  this  particular  he 
happened  to  be  a  perfect  saint,  it  was  embarrassing  to 
preach.  There  were  many  here  among  the  older  men 
he  doubted  not,  who  wished  they  had  not  become  slaves 
to  the  habit  in  their  youth.  He  had  known  some  in- 
stances where  men  were  able  to  conquer  the  habit,  but 
it  was  a  severe  trial.  Smoking  tobacco  would  do  them 
no  good,  while  it  might  become  a  habit  which  would 
enslave  them.  Why  should  they  run  that  risk?  In 
youth  it  was  easy  to  abstain  but  the  appetite  once 
formed  it  was  not  easy  to  break  their  chains.  To 
young  men  having  their  living  to  make  he  ventured  to 
suggest  that  it  was  also  an  expensive  habit.  Not  sel 
dom,  he  believed,  the  sum  spent  by  a  young  man  upon 
tobacco,  if  saved  for  twenty  years  at  five  per  cent,  com- 
pound interest,  would  give  him  a  very  nice  nest  egg  in 
the  bank— perhaps  justifying  him,  if  they  added  the 
liquor  account,  in  asking  the  angel  he  admired  to  take 
him  in  charge.  The  principal  point  that  could  be  urged 
against  tobacco  was  that  it  had  injured  and  was  in- 
juring many  of  their  fellows  from  excessive  use.  Like 
most  bad  and  seductive  things  the  line  between  use  and 
abuse  could  rarely  be  maintained,  and  he  said,  there- 
fore, about  tobacco  as  he  did  about  alcohol,  there  was 
danger  in  it  then  why  not  insure  themselves?  Life 
was  a  game,  which  required  them  to  equip  themselves 
with  every  possible  advantage  to  play  it  from  scratch. 


136  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

and  to  strip  themselves  of  every  impediment  that  might 
hamper  them  in  the  race.  There  was  no  use  in  taking 
chances  by  becoming  handicapped  by  either  alcohol  or 
the  tobacco  habit." 

Mr.  Jesse  Knight,  probably  Utah's  most  popular 
financier,  gives  his  estimate  of  the  cigarette  smoker  in 
the  following  language:  "Smoking  is  injurious  to 
anybody.  The  boy  who  contracts  this  habit  soon  be- 
comes a  slave  to  it.  Few  men  would  select  him  for  a 
position  of  trust  in  competition  with  the  boy  who  does 
not  smoke,  and  should  he  engage  in  occupation  requir- 
ing great  physical  effort,  he  is  soon  outclassed  by  the 
non-smoker," 

Railroad  Men.  Carelessness  and  unreliability  ac- 
companying the  use  of  cigarettes  caused  E.  H.  Harri- 
man,  the  great  railroad  magnate,  to  state  that  he  "would 
as  soon  have  an  insane  man  at  the  throttle  of  a  locomo- 
•tive  as  a  cigarette  smoker". 

Not  long  ago  John  Murphy,  general  superintendent 
of  the  Pittsburg  Railways  Company,  posted  a  notice 
in  the  barns  of  the  company  calling  attention  of  the 
employees  to  the  fact  that  the  company  would  no  longer 
retain  in  its  employment  men  who  used  intoxicating 
liquors  or  cigarettes.  In  explaining  the  cause  for  this 
action,  Mr.  Murphy  stated  that  as  an  officer  of  a  com- 
pany carrying  over  two  hundred  twenty-five  million 
people  per  year  it  became  his  moral  duty  to  protect  the 
lives  of  the  traveling  public  against  all  possible  acci- 
dents. He  said  that  he  had  observed  that  the  standard 
of  men  who  used  cigarettes  was  much  below  that  of 
those  who  did  not.     Further,  "I  have  been  criticized 


THE  BUSINESS  WORLD  AND  TOBACCO         137 

for  the  stringency  of  the  order,  especially  for  prohibi- 
tion of  the  use  of  cigarettes,  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
I  have  the  assurance  of  our  division  superintendents 
(of  whom  we  have  twelve),  aided  by  my  own  obser- 
vations, that  persons  addicted  to  the  use  of  cigarettes, 
especially  young  men,  are  the  most  careless  in  their 
duties,  and  less  able  to  perform  them  than  men  using 
liquor  in  moderation." 

Vice-President  Parker  of  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island 
Railroad  is  quoted  as  saying:  "In  my  judgment  it  is 
impossible  for  a  cigarette  smoker  to  make  a  good  rail- 
road man.  As  a  rule  smokers  are  dull  and  half  asleep 
most  of  the  time.  These  are  not  the  kind  of  men  the 
Rock  Island  wants  to  operate  its  trains  and  its  great 
system,  which  is  daily  responsible  for  the  lives  of 
thousands  of  people." 

Manufacturers. — The  great  Avery  Company  of 
Peoria,  Illinois,  considers  the  health  of  its  employees 
such  an  asset  that  it  follows  the  practice  of  issuing 
regular  health  bulletins  for  their  information.  In  a 
recent  number  life  insurance  tables  are  reproduced 
showing  that  the  allotted  life-time  for  the  most  healthy 
men  ranges  close  to  the  biblical  "three  score  and  ten". 
The  bulletin  states,  "there  is  just  one  way  to  beat  these 
figures ;  that  is,  to  be  so  healthy  that  when  the  old  man 
with  the  scythe  comes  along  you  will  be  standing  so 
straight  on  your  legs  that  he  can't  cut  you  down".  At- 
tention is  called  to  the  fact  that  one  of  the  principle 
sources  of  disease  is  "poisons  taken  into  the  body  in 
food  and  drink,  such  as  tea,  coffee,  tobacco,  alcohol, 
and  many  drugs  and  patent  medicines".     It  goes  on  to 


138  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

state  that  these  drugs  are  simply  temporary  props  and 
that  good  health  is  impossible  without  their  discontin- 
uance. 

Several  years  ago  the  Cadillac  Motor  Car  Company 
of  Detroit,  Michigan,  began  an  active  investigation 
into  the  merits  of  the  cigarette  habit,  and  as  a  result 
recently  stated  that  "cigarette  smokers  invariably  were 
loose  in  their  morals  and  very  apt  to  be  untruthful, 
and  were  far  less  productive  than  men  who  were  not 
cigarette  smokers".  The  company  lias  placed  notices 
about  the  plants  discouraging  the  use  of  cigarettes 
among  employees  and  stating  that  hereafter  those  ad- 
dicted to  the  habit  will  not  be  employed.  The  company 
gave  as  one  reason  for  this  action  its  belief  that  "men 
who  do  not  smoke  cigarettes  or  frequent  the  saloon  can 
make  better  automobiles  than  those  who  do". 

The  J.  C.  Ayer  Company,  manufacturing  chemists, 
should  be  prepared  officially  to  discuss  the  action  of 
drugs.  Dr.  C.  H.  Stowell,  treasurer  of  the  company, 
recently  said,  "Close  observation  for  many  years 
among  boys  employed  by  this  company  has  shown  that 
those  who  are  most  energetic,  active,  alert,  quick,  sprv, 
do  not  smoke;  while  the  listless,  lazy,  dull,  sleepv.  un- 
interesting boys,  are,  we  find  upon  investigation,  those 
who  smoke  cigarettes."  The  companv  has  issued  this 
statement  to  its  employes :  "Believing  that  smoking 
cigarettes  is  injurious  to  both  mind  and  body,  thereby 
unfitting  young  men  for  their  best  work,  therefore, 
after  this  date  we  will  not  employ  anv  young  man 
under  twenty-one  years  of  age  who  smokes  cigarettes." 

Swift  &  Company,  the  great  meat  packers  of  Amer- 


THE  BUSINESS  WORLD  AND  TOBACCO         139 

ica,  have  a  line  in  their  application  form  for  employ- 
ment as  follows:  "Do  you  smoke  cigarettes?"  The 
company  recently  stated  :  "We  try  to  discourage  the 
practice  and  feel  that  the  effect  is  very  bad,  probably 
the  greatest  single  evil  among  boys  today." 

Peet  Brothers,  the  well-known  manufacturers  of 
laundry  and  toilet  soaps,  state :  "We  are  strongly 
against  cigarette  smoking  by  young  or  old  men  of  any 
age,  and  we  endeavor  not  to  employ  men  who  have 
this  habit." 

The  Crunden  Martin  Manufacturing  Company  of 
St.  Louis  give  the  following  as  their  attitude  toward 
cigarettes :  "There  is  no  question  but  what  evidence 
of  a  confirmed  habit  of  cigarette  smoking  is  detri- 
mental to  the  securing  of  a  position,  and  there  is  no 
question  but  what  it  is,  though  tolerated,  not  generally 
looked  upon  favorably  by  business  men,  even  though 
they  smoke  cigarettes  themselves." 

The  Irving-Pitt  Manufacturing  Company,  makers 
of  the  famous  I.  P.  loose  leaf  books,  state :  "We  cer- 
tainly discriminate  against  employees,  particularly 
young  men  and  boys,  addicted  to  the  use  of  cigarettes. 
We  have  no  statistics  available  as  to  the  efficiency  or 
inefficiency  of  employees  using  cigarettes,  but  we  pre- 
fer to  avoid  employing  them  on  general  principles." 

Albers  Brothers  Milling  Company,  of  Portland,  Or- 
egon, give  the  following  as  their  attitude :  "Boys  and 
young  men  who  are  addicted  to  the  use  of  cigarettes  are 
not  welcome  by  this  company  as  employees.  Cigarette 
smoking  is  classified  by  us  as  being  one  of  the  Bad 
Habits,  and  one  that  has  a  tendency  to  be  very  injur- 


140  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

ious.  If  it  is  followed  very  persistently  it  takes  away 
the  smoker's  health  and  strength,  and  decreases  his 
efficiency  to  a  large  degree.  This  has  been  our  ex- 
perience and  we  make  it  a  point  to  discriminate  par- 
ticularly against  the  excessive  smoker  of  this  class." 

Maple  Flake  Mills,  of  Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  have 
this  to  say :  "We  do  not  hire  cigarette  fiends.  We  are 
satisfied  that  no  young  man  can  be  up  to  par  in  effici- 
ency and  general  reliability  who  is  a  confirmed  cigar- 
ette smoker." 

Loss  of  time,  occasioned  by  the  use  of  tobacco,  can 
readily  be  seen  by  anyone  who  cares  to  observe.  It 
perhaps  can  best  be  calculated  where  the  number  of 
men  involved  is  large,-  say  on  some  public  works.  In 
such  cases  an  actual  count  will  commonly  show  that 
practically  one-fourth  of  the  total  number  are  con- 
stantly engaged  in  preparing  cigarettes,  and  this  does 
not  include  the  time  lost  in  smoking  them.  The  com- 
monly advanced  argument  that  men  need  rest,  and, 
therefore,  that  the  time  is  not  lost,  will  not  hold,  for  it 
is  now  known  that  nearly,  if  not  quite,  as  much  energy 
is  consumed  in  smoking  as  in  working.  Smoking, 
therefore,  is  by  no  means  rest. 

An  officer  of  the  Colorado  Yule  Marble  Company 
recently  stated  that  an  investigation  had  shown  that  the 
company  was  getting  twenty  per  cent  more  value  out  of 
its  men  since  an  order  prohibiting  smoking  had  been 
issued.  He  himself  is  a  heavy  smoker,  but  not  during 
business  hours.  It  would  be  safe  to  say  that  the  great 
majority  of  successful  contractors  and  other  employers 
nf  manual  labor  have  already  observed  this  needless 


THE  BUSINESS  WORLD  AND  TOBACCO         141 

loss  of  time,  and  many  of  them  have  at  least  partially 
overcome  it  by  prohibiting  smoking  during  working 
hours.  The  fact  should  not  be  lost  sight  of,  however, 
that  the  use  of  tobacco  during  any  time  of  the  day 
lowers  both  mental  and  physical  ability,  and,  therefore, 
that  total  abstinence  is  the  only  complete  remedy. 

Merchants. — Marshal  Field  and  Company,  con- 
sidered America's  greatest  deparment  store  operators, 
place  themselves  on  record  as  follows :  "For  many 
years  it  has  been  our  policy  not  to  engage  boys  who 
make  a  practice  of  smoking  cigarettes,  as  we  believe 
it  to  be  detrimental  to  their  development." 

John  Wanamaker,  commonly  spoken  of  as  the 
merchant  prince  of  America,  has  this  to  say  concern- 
ing cigarettists :  "The  question  of  the  use  of  tobacco 
and  cigarettes  by  the  young  men  who  make  application 
to  us  for  employment  comes  in  for  serious  considera- 
tion, and  where  there  is  evidence  of  the  excessive  use  of 
cigarettes  the  applicant  is  invariably  refused  a  place 
in  our  ranks." 

George  W.  Alden,  head  of  a  big  mercantile  establish- 
ment of  Brockton,  Massachusetts,  is  quoted  as  follows : 
"So  far  as  I  know  none  of  my  employees  smokes  cig- 
arettes. We  don't  hire  that  kind  of  boys  or  men.  I 
should  not  consider  for  a  minute  any  candidate  for  a 
position  if  I  knew  that  he  smoked  cigarettes.  It  would 
be  pretty  strongly  against  him  if  he  applied  for  a  po- 
sition with  either  a  cigar,  pipe  or  cigarette  in  his 
mouth.  With  the  general  knowledge  prevalent  in  this 
state  as  to  the  injurious  effects  of  cigarette  smoking, 
any  boy  should   have   ambition  enough   and  decision 


142  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

enough  to  let  cigarettes  alone.  My  observation  has 
taught  me  that  cigarette  smoking  boys  are  woefully 
lacking  in  both  ambition  and  decision.  They  soon  be- 
come dull,  smoke-befuddled  boys.  I  let  them  know- 
that  cigarettes  spoil  boys  for  my  business." 

Recently  the  Consolidated  Wagon  and  Machine 
Company  of  Salt  Lake  City,  offered  a  practical  course 
of  training  in  salesmanship  and  business.  Evidently 
the  object  of  the  course  was  to  encourage  intelligent 
salesmanship  and  business  management.  No  fees  were 
connected  with  it ;  in  fact  each  student  enrolled  was 
given  an  allowance  of  twenty  dollars  per  month,  and 
was  promised  a  position  with  regular  salary  upon  com- 
pletion of  the  course  with  a  required  degree  of  pro- 
ficiency. Admission  requirements  were  simple :  any 
young  man  of  good  moral  character,  not  a  user  of  to- 
bacco, and  reasonably  intelligent  being  elligible. 

An  authenticated  incident  in  connection  with  this 
matter  shows  the  attitude  of  the  average  cigarette 
smoker  toward  such  opportunities.  The  father  of  a 
boy  of  twenty-two  years  was  explaining  to  a  friend 
that  his  son  had  experienced  considerable  difficulty  in 
securing  steady  employment.  He  had  recently  worked 
at  several  places  but  for  various  reasons  the  work  had 
not  been  continuous.  It  was  explained  that  the  boy 
was  willing  to  work,  but  somehow  he  was  unable  to 
obtain  anything  permanent.  The  friend  asked  the 
father  if  he  had  seen  the  announcement  of  the  Consoli- 
dated Wagon  and  Machine  Company,  and  at  the  same 
time  handed  him  a  small  pamphlet  outlining  the  courses 
and  entrance  requirements.     The  father  had  not  seen 


THE  BUSINESS  WORLD  AND  TOBACCO         143 

it;  he  was  delighted.  It  was  just  exactly  what  his 
son  had  been  looking  for.  The  father  took  it  home  and 
discussed  the  matter  with  the  mother  and  the  son. 
They  all  agreed  that  the  boy's  opportunity  had  at  last 
arrived,  but  when  the  clause  prohibiting  the  use  of  to- 
bacco was  read  the  son  demurred.  The  work  to  him 
did  not  look  so  attractive  after  all,  in  fact  it  was  really 
not  just  what  he  wanted.  In  spite  of  the  parents'  ef- 
forts, the  boy  again  drifted  up  town  looking  for  a  job 
where  the  requirements  were  not  so  rigid  and  the  work 
more  congenial. 

Bankers. — The  banking  business  is  of  such  a  nature 
that  it  quickly  tests  the  qualities  of  efficiency  and  gen- 
eral reliability.  A  man  irregular  in  habits,  unreliable 
and  unsteady  of  nerve  is  most  certainly  not  fitted  for 
'oanking.  The  banker  must  possess  a  cool  head,  a 
steady  nerve,  unwavering  accuracy  and  absolute  re- 
liability. Cigarette  smoking,  and  for  that  matter  any 
other  form  of  tobacco  usage,  is  not  conducive  to  such 
qualities.  Following  are  a  few  of  many  statements 
coming  from  various  parts  of  the  country : 
E.  C.  McDougal,  President  Bank  of  Buffalo: 
"I  have  always  deprecated  cigarette  smoking.  We 
always  try  to  pick  boys  who  do  not  smoke,  and,  were 
it  feasible,  we  would  make  an  absolute  rule  that  no 
man  could  smoke  cigarettes  and  remain  in  our  employ. 
*  *  *  I  have  no  doubt  that  if  one  hundred  young 
men  who  do  not  smoke  cigarettes,  and  one  hundred 
young  men  who  do  smoke  cigarettes,  each  one  hundred 
of  the  same  original  average  honesty,  were  closely  ob- 
served, it  would  be  discovered  that  the  average  stand- 


144  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

ard  of  the  one  hundred  who  smoke  cigarettes  would 
be  found  very  much  deteriorated." 

A.  V.  Hunter,  President  Carbonate  National  Bank, 
Leadville,  Colorado : 

"I  feel  very  strongly  on  the  subject  of  the  use  of 
cigarettes,  or  for  that  matter,  tobacco  in  any  form,  by 
boys,  and  believe  that  it  has  a  very  injurious  effect  not 
only  upon  the  health  and  growth  but  also  upon  the 
morals  and  character,  by  leading  them  into  bad  com- 
pany and  pernicious  and  vicious  habits,  and  I  would 
not  care  to  employ  boys  or  young  men  with  the  cigar- 
ette habit." 

W.  P,  Sanford,  President  Holland  Banking  Com- 
pany, Springfield,  Missouri : 

"I  am  fully  aware  that  it  (the  cigarette  habit)  is 
doing  a  great  deal  to  corrupt  and  wreck  a  great  many 
of  the  youth  of  our  country.  Through  a  term  of 
thirty-five  years  our  bank  has  never  employed  a  young 
man  addicted  to  the  use  of  liquor  or  tobacco  to  excess, 
and  most  of  the  employees  during  that  time  have  been 
total  abstainers.  We  have  never  been  unfortunate 
enough  to  number  among  our  employees  what  would 
be  termed  a  cigarette  fiend." 

John  J.  Large,  Vice-President  First  National  Bank, 
Sioux  City,  Iowa : 

"I  certainly  would  not  have  a  man  working  for  me 
who  was  a  persistent  smoker  of  cigarettes.  My  opin- 
ion is  that  when  a  young  man  gets  that  habit  fastened 
onto  him  in  such  a  manner  that  it  has  a  real  hold  on 
him,  that  is  just  about  all  he  is  good  for  the  bulk  of  the 
time.     It  is  not  only  a  habit  that  seems  to  me  is  a  very 


THE  BUSINESS  WORLD  AND  TOBACCO         145 

disagreeable  one  for  the  people  around  the  smokers, 
but  certainly  produces  nervous  trouble  and  lack  of  at- 
tention to  business,  which  no  business  house  can  af- 
ford to  tolerate." 

Ralph  Van  Vechten,  Vice-President  Continental  and 
Commercial  National  Bank,  Chicago,  Illinois : 

"I  have  been  a  close  observer  of  the  effects  of  to- 
bacco upon  boys  and  young  men.  Aside  from  violat- 
ing the  laws  of  health,  I  find  that  it  breeds  selfishness 
and  disregard  for  the  rights  of  others,  and  in  some 
cases,  it  brings  on  a  taste  for  strong  drink.  Cigar- 
ette smoking  on  the  part  of  boys  is  demoralizing,  and, 
from  my  observation,  it  has  a  tendency  to  dwarf  their 
mentality  and  to  bring  out  the  worst  that  is  in  them." 

J.  M.  Munheim,  Vice-President  Miners  and  Mer- 
chants Bank,  Bisbee,  Arizona : 

"My  experience  as  a  banker,  which  has  given  me 
many  opportunities  of  coming  in  contact  with  boys 
and  young  men  in  a  business  way,  has  proven  to  me 
that  those  addicted  to  the  cigarette  or  tobacco  habit 
are  to  a  great  extent  less  conservative  in  their  busi- 
ness affairs  than  those  which  have  not  acquired  the 
habit,  and  in  employing  young  men  in  our  institution, 
one  who  abstains  from  the  use  of  tobacco  is  far  more 
preferable  and  is  usually  favored  with  the  position,  as 
it  is  my  own  honest  conviction  that  a  young  man's 
brains  are  more  or  less  inactive  when  constantly  in- 
dulged in  the  use  of  cigarettes.  Being  the  father  of 
four  boys,  it  will  be  my  most  earnest  aim  to  have  them 
refrain  from  the  use  of  cigarettes  in  so  far  as  it  lies 
within  my  power  to  prevent." 


146  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

Emory  W.  Clark,  President  First  and  Old  Detroit 
National  Bank,  Detroit,  Michigan: 

"There  is  no  question  but  that  the  habitual  use  of 
cigarettes  contributes  largely  to  the  dishonesty  and 
general  inefficiency  that  one  finds  altogether  too  fre- 
quently among  boys  and  young  men.  If  the  sale  of 
cigarettes  in  this  country  could  be  prohibited  entirely, 
it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  it  would  add  millions  of 
dollars  to  the  accumulated  wealth  in  a  very  few  years." 

Lewis  S.  Hills,  late  President  Deseret  .National 
Bank,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah : 

"I  have  had  considerable  experience  in  employing 
bookkeepers  and  accountants,  and  never  saw  one  who 
habitually  used  cigarettes  that  could  be  relied  upon ; 
and  if  I  found  anyone  in  my  employ  had  contracted 
the  habit  I  always  took  the  first  opportunity  to  replace 
him  by  a  non-smoker." 

The  present  writer  has  before  him  statements  from 
scores  of  railroad  companies,  large  mercantile  and 
manufacturing  establishments,  banking  institutions  and 
others  who  discriminate  against  the  tobacco  user  in 
selecting  employees.  Not  one  of  these  statements  con- 
tains a  single  word  of  praise  for  the  cigarette  habit,  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  every  one  of  them  condemns  it. 
Doubtless  the  list  could  be  very  greatly  enlarged,  for 
the  number  of  testimonials  obtainable  seems  to  be  lim- 
ited only  by  the  efforts  put  forth  to  secure  them. 

The  day  of  the  cigarette  user  in  the  more  enter- 
prising and  progressive  institutions  is  now  practically 
past.     Many  institutions  are  prohibiting  the  use  of  to- 


THE  BUSINESS  WORLD  AND  TOBACCO         147 

bacco  in  any  and  every  form,  and  undoubtedly  others 
will  find  it  imperative  to  follow. 

The  tobacco  habit  will  die  hard,  even  in  institutions 
of  the  better  sort,  for,  it  should  be  admitted,  some 
strong,  robust  men  seemingly  suffer  but  little  from 
its  effects,  and  to  such  the  doctrine  of  abstinance 
may  continue  to  have  but  little  meaning.  Furthermore, 
mere  gratification  of  appetite  will  permit  men  to  con- 
tinue the  use  of  tobacco  even  after  its  effects  are  under- 
stood and  experienced.  But  finally  the  whole  commer- 
cial world  will  abandon  it,  if  for  no  other  reason  than 
that  it  hurts  business. 


XII 

SOCIAL  ASPECTS  OF  THE  TOBACCO  HABIT 

The  reason  that  practically  all  tobacco  users  permit 
themselves  flagrantly  to  disregard  many  of  the  funda- 
mental standards  of  social  conduct  appears  to  be  trace- 
able largely  to  physiological  changes  induced  by  partici- 
pation. Nicotine  is  a  narcotic  drug,  the  chief  action 
of  which  is  to  reduce  both  mental  and  physical  activity. 
While  it  impairs  numerous  organs  of  the  body,  it  seems 
to  strike  particularly  at  the  user's  manhood  through  his 
nervous  system. 

No  one  will  doubt  that  something  radical  has  taken 
place  upon  comparing  the  social  habits  of  a  man  be- 
fore and  after  he  acquires  the  habit.  Men,  who, 
before  learning  to  smoke,  are  highly  considerate  of 
the  comfort  of  others,  very  commonly  become  incon- 
siderate and  even  selfish  after  its  use  is  begun.  Men, 
who  would  never  have  once  permitted  their  bodies  to 
become  scented  with  foul  odors,  afterwards,  without 
excuse,  or,  what  is  worse,  seemingly  without  caring, 
enter  the  most  delicate  society  with  their  bodies  and 
clothing  reeking  with  the  fumes  of  tobacco.  Many 
men,  who  would  have  willingly  sacrificed  their  own 
pleasure  for  that  of  others,  afterwards  complacently 
smoke  in  the  presence  of  those  to  whom  they  know 
that  the  habit  is  at  least  displeasing  and  perhaps  even 
sickening. 

Tobacco    adherents    will    probably    protest    against 


SOCIAL  ASPECTS  OF  TOBACCO  HABIT         149 

the  last  statement  and  call  attention  to  the  prevail- 
ing practice  among  the  better  class  of  smokers 
of  inquiring  of  others  present  whether  the  habit  is 
offensive.  But  while  it  is  true  that  this  practice  is 
somewhat  generally  followed,  it  is  also  true  that  smok- 
ers invariably  expect  a  negative  answer,  and  are  com- 
monly much  offended  if  an  objection  is  raised.  In  fact 
they  are  not  only  offended,  but  the}  feel  that  their 
personal  rights  have  been  curtailed.  During  an  ex- 
perience of  many  years  the  writer  has  never,  except  in 
one  case,  replied  that  smoking  was  offensive  to  him, 
without  plainly  disappointing  the  one  who  asked.  The 
exception  was  the  case  of  a  college  graduate  who  had 
formerly  done  work  under  the  writer's  tuition. 

Then  there  is  another  class  of  smokers  who  indulge 
in  all  places  and  at  all  times  unless  positively  prohibited. 
They  can  be  seen  in  the  street  car,  on  railway  trains,  in 
public  dining  rooms,  and  in  scores  of  other  places. 
They  never  seem  to  think  of  the  rights  of  others. 

Then  there  are  still  others  who  positively  take  de- 
light in  making  it  unpleasant  for  non-smokers  about 
them,  and  unfortunately  this  class  is  altogether  too 
large.  Inveterate  smokers  commonly  look  upon  ab- 
stainers as  "tenderfoots"  and  "sissies."  A  railroad 
conductor  recently  showed  his  contempt  for  a  passen- 
ger who  preferred  standing  in  a  chair  car  to  sitting 
in  a  smoker.  Smokers  of  this  class,  and  they  are  not  a 
few,  frequently  go  out  of  their  way  to  make  it  unpleas- 
ant for  others.  It  certainly  cannot  be  denied  that  every 
human  being  should  be  able  to  breathe  the  unpolluted 
air  of  nature. 


150  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

The  smokers'  lack  of  social  sense  is  perhaps  seen  at 
its  highest  in  their  attitude  toward  women  and  children. 
Women  naturally  are  far  more  refined  and  sensitive 
than  men,  but  to  many  smokers  this  makes  but  little 
difference.  They  indulge  their  appetites  in  the  pres- 
ence of  women  whenever  they  choose,  even  in  the 
sanctuary  of  the  home.  It  is  difficult  to  understand 
how  a  man  can  expect  his  delicate  wife  and  children  to 
greet  him  with  open  arms,  when  he  goes  home  to  them 
befouled  with  offensive  fumes.  It  is  by  no  means  un- 
common to  see  a  father  blow  the  poisonous  smoke  from 
a  lighted  cigar  or  cigarette  into  the  face  of  his  tender 
infant.  Conditions  of  this  kind  force  upon  one  the 
conviction  that  tobacco  positively  destroys  the  finer 
senses  of  right  and  wrong. 

A  short  time  ago  a  smoker  was  observed  to  spend 
less  than  two  hours  with  his  wife  out  of  a  fifteen-hour 
train  ride.  The  remaining  time  was  passed  in  a  near- 
by stuffy  smoking  compartment.  Tobacco  users  will 
sacrifice  almost  anything  for  their  habit.  If  regula- 
tions will  not  permit  them  to  indulge  in  the  presence  of 
their  wives  and  children,  they  will  go  almost  any  place 
to  satisfy  their  appetites.  A  man  who  ranks  high  in 
social  affairs  was  recently  observed  to  go  into  a  stuffy 
foul-smelling  car  carrying  a  load  of  South-European 
immigrants,  because  the  train  facilities  would  not  per- 
mit him  to  smoke  elsewhere. 

All  of  the  better  railroad  trains  are  now  equipped 
with  observation  cars  especially  designed  for  the  con- 
venience of  long-distance  travelers,  but  unfortunately 
these    conveniences    are    commonly    monopolized    by 


SOCIAL  ASPECTS  OF  TOBACCO   HABIT         151 

smokers.  Women  who  venture  into  such  places  seldom 
stay  but  a  short  time,  and  then  pay  for  the  visit  with 
headache  for  the  remainder  of  the  day.  More  com- 
monly, however,  the  women  passengers  remain  in  the 
car  seats,  while  the  selfish,  perhaps  thoughtless, 
smokers  are  befouling  the  best  part  of  the  train.  This 
condition  is  not  natural  to  American  manhood.  A 
smoker  cannot  be  his  real  self,  and  thus  disregard  the 
rights  of  others  who  are  paying  the  same  for  accommo- 
dations as  is  he. 

This  disregard  for  others  seems  to  have  invaded 
every  phase  of  human  activity.  One  would  be  less 
surprised  if  it  were  confined  to  certain  quarters,  espe- 
cially where  culture  is  more  or  less  unknown.  But  it 
seems  to  have  reached  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  cul- 
tured and  the  uncultured  alike.  A  physician,  who  was 
graduated  from  an  accredited  school,  was  called  from 
his  bed  at  midnight  to  reduce  a  fracture  in  a  child's 
arm.  The  party  had  traveled  far  overland  and  were 
fatigued  and  nervous.  The  physician  placed  the  child 
upon  the  table,  lighted  a  cigar  and  proceeded  with  the 
work.  This  matter  to  smokers  may  seem  trivial,  but 
non-smokers  cannot  understand  how  a  physician  can 
so  far  forget  himself  in  the  presence  of  a  mother 
already  weary,  tired  and  sick. 

A  college  football  team  was  just  finishing  a  most 
brilliant  season.  The  boys  had  trained  well  and  worked 
hard.  It  was  their  boast  that  the  rules  with  respect  to 
diet  and  habits  had  been  strictly  observed.  .None  of 
the  boys  had  used  tobacco  since  the  training  season  be- 
gan, and  most  of  them  never  had.     The  last  game  was 


152  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

being  played.  At  the  beginning  of  the  second  half 
the  player  at  the  left  end  was  replaced  by  another.  The 
training  season  for  him  was  now  technically  over,  and 
he  could  eat  and  otherwise  do  as  he  chose.  To  the 
surprise  and  chagrin  of  hundreds  of  students  and  pro- 
fessors he  took  from  his  coat,  which  lay  on  the  side- 
lines, a  huge  cigar  and  began  to  smoke.  His  inveterate 
appetite  and  lack  of  self-control  would  not  permit  him 
to  wait  until  he  had  gotten  off  the  campus.  With  an 
unperverted  appetite  this  student  could  never  thus  have 
offended  his  coach  and  school.  He  plainly  demon- 
strated that  he  had  refrained  from  the  use  of  this  nar- 
cotic wholly  because  of  athletic  regulations.  Just  as 
soon  as  he  was  left  to  himself  he  rushed  back  to  his 
habit. 

Non-smokers  are  at  a  decided  disadvantage  in  many 
social  affairs.  They  must  either  remain  away  or  suffer 
the  inconvenience  of  smoke-filled  rooms,  and  subse- 
quent headaches.  An  alumnus  of  one  of  America's 
great  universities  recently  attended  the  banquet  of  a 
local  chapter.  The  fellow  alumnus  at  his  right  smoked 
fourteen  cigarettes  during  the  progress  of  the  supper 
and  the  one  at  his  left  twelve.  Physicians  and  others 
who  had  learned  well  the  scientific  aspects  of  proper 
ventilation  sat  there  completely  oblivious  to  the  fact 
that  the  air  was  literally  blue  with  cigarette  fumes. 
There  is  sufficient  carbon  dioxide  and  carbon  monoxide 
alone  in  a  room  of  that  kind,  without  mentioning  the 
other  poisonous  products,  to  produce  a  racking  head- 
ache in  any  healthy  man  on  earth.     Non-smokers  who 


SOCIAL  ASPECTS  OF  TOBACCO   HABIT         153 

will  not  attend  such  functions  are  regarded  as  lacking 
loyaltv  to  their  Alma  Mater. 

It  is  possibly  very  difficult  for  the  average  smoker, 
who  is  more  or  less  constantly  enshrouded  in  a  nicotin- 
ized  atmosphere,  to  comprehend  the  discomforts  which 
he  is  actually  inflicting  upon  others.  But  it  is  equally 
manifest  that  the  slightest  reflection  upon  his  part 
would  convince  him  that  he  has  no  right  whatsoever 
to  cause  others  the  slightest  degree  of  discomfort.  He 
pays  no  more  for  his  accommodations  than  do  others, 
but  everywhere,  in  hotels,  on  trains  and  on  steamships 
he  is  provided  with  special  accommodations.  If  the 
practice  of  smoking  were  abandoned  the  cost  of  accom- 
modations at  all  public  places  and  in  all  public  convey- 
ances could  be  very  greatly  reduced.  The  smoker 
seems  to  forget  that  under  the  present  uniform  system 
of  expense,  the  non-smoker  is  actually  paying  for  half 
of  the  additional  "conveniences".  He  is  not  even  con- 
tent to  remain  in  the  quarters  thus  gratutiously  pro- 
vided for  him,  but  he  selfishly  invades  any  and  all  other 
places,  as  for  instance  in  sleeping  cars  where  the  odor 
from  his  tobacco  penetrates  every  berth  and  compart- 
ment. 

The  average  smoker  is  slow  to  realize  that  he  is  in 
reality  a  public  charge.  At  the  hotel  or  on  the  train  he 
seems  to  forget  that  the  cost  of  the  accommodations 
especially  provided  for  him  is  borne  equally  by  every- 
one present.  Moreover,  he  positively  regards  himself 
as  a  creature  of  special  privilege,  and  is  ordinarily  much 
offended  whenever  it  is  suggested  that  his  practices  are 
distasteful  to  others. 


154  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

In  many  respects  the  social  aspects  of  the  tobacco 
problem  are  even  more  serious  than  that  of  the  liquor 
problem.  If  an  individual  wishes  to  use  liquor  to  ex- 
cess he  is  locked  up  away  from  the  public.  Not  so,  how- 
ever, in  the  case  ,of  the  tobacco  user.  He  may  smoke  al- 
most anywhere  and  as  much  as  he  chooses.  Men  would 
not  be  permitted  to  drink  alcoholic  liquors  openly  upon 
the  streets  of  any  city  in  America,  while  as  a  matter  of 
fact  the  mere  act  of  drinking  is  not  nearly  so  offensive 
as  that  of  smoking.  The  odor  of  alcoholic  liquors  and 
the  foul  breath  of  drunkards  are  not  offensive  to  the 
habitues  of  saloons.. 

When  the  situation  is  finally  analyzed  and  fairly 
adjusted,  the  smoker  will  have  to  stand  the  expense 
of  all  special  conveniences  provided  for  him.  He  will 
be  permitted  to  indulge  in  places  only  where  no  offense 
can  come  to  others,  for  it  will  be  remembered  that  even 
money  cannot  buy  the  rights  of  free  citizens. 


XIII 
THE  COST  OF  TOBACCO. 

Mr.  Frank  Fayant,  author  of  "Fools  and  Their 
Money",  recently  wrote  of  the  tobacco  habit: 

"The  cigar  money  of  the  man  of  the  family  is  over- 
looked by  the  sociologists  who  make  elaborate  studies 
of  the  cost  of  living,  but  it  is  a  huge  item,  nearly  half  a 
billion  dollars  for  more  than  eight  billion  cigars.  In 
very  recent  years  the  cigarette  bill  has  grown  rapidly. 
We  are  now  consuming  five  times  as  many  cigarettes  as 
ten  or  fifteen  years  ago.  when  the  Tobacco  Trust  began 
spending  millions  of  dollars  pushing  the  trade  by  broad- 
cast advertising  in  newspapers  and  magazines,  and  on 
bill  boards  and  blank  walls.  Only  ten  years  ago  we 
smoked  three  billion  cigarettes  a  year.  Now  we  smoke 
close  to  twelve  billions.  Cigarettes  are  not  taking  the 
place  of  the  cigar  and  the  pipe ;  they  are  merely  in- 
creasing by  so  much  the  consumption  of  the  weed. 
For  smoking  and  chewing  tobacco  we  spend  only  one- 
third  as  much  as  for  cigars,  but  the  yearly  bill  is  as  big 
as  the  government  appropriation  for  pensions.  Noth- 
ing is  of  more  interest  in  the  tobacco  statistics  than  the 
gn  wing  consumption  of  snuff,  an  article  which  most 
people  imagine  is  only  to  be  found  in  historical  novels 
along  with  cocked  hats  and  silk  breeches.  Snuff  is 
never  advertised,  and  is  seldom  displayed  for  sale  by 
tobacconists,  but  the  consumption  has  doubled  in  the 
past  few  years,  and  now  reaches  thirty  million  pounds 


156  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

a  year.  Tobacco  manufacturing  and  retailing  have 
yielded  enormous  profits  to  capital.  The  rise  of  the 
American  Tobacco  Company  is  a  romance  in  finance. 
The  investment  of  a  comparatively  small  capital,  first 
in  the  manufacture  of  cigarettes  and  later  in  smoking 
and  chewing  tobacco  and  snuff,  made  many  millions 
for  the  promoters.  So  rapid  was  the  rise  of  the  com- 
pany and  so  enormous  its  profits,  that  the  government 
stepped  in  to  check  the  monopoly. But  though  the  trust 
is  legally  dissolved,  the  separated  companies  are  going 
right  ahead  piling  up  rich  profits.  The  tobacco  trade 
grows  faster  than  the  population.  It  has  besides  the 
great  advantage  over  most  other  manufacturing  busi- 
nesses that  the  profits  amount  up  season  after  season  in 
good  times  and  bad.  When  times  are  bad,  people  buy 
fewer  clothes  and  cheaper  food ;  they  suspend  building- 
operations  ;  they  lay  aside  plans  for  the  opening  of  new 
factories.  The  wheels  of  industry  run  slowly  and 
manufacturing  profits  dwindle ;  but  men  still  use  to- 
bacco. In  fact,  idleness  among  working  men  increases 
the  consumption  of  tobacco.  When  the  wage  earner  is 
working  full  time  in  factory  or  shop  he  has  little  time 
for  smoking;  when  he  is  out  of  a  job  he  has  the  whole 
day  for  his  pipe,  and  he  will  scrape  up  enough  pennies, 
even  in  the  hardest  times,  to  keep  his  tobacco  pouch 
full.  Of  one  brand  of  five-cents-a-bag  smoking  to- 
bacco, largely  used  by  workingmen,  the  sales  last  year 
amounted  to  eighteen  million  dollars." 

Cash  Paid  in  Exchange. — The  vast  importance  of 
the  tobacco  business  in  the  United  States  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  it  ranks  about  tenth  among  our  national 


THE   COST  OF  TOBACCO  157 

industries.  The  annual  output  of  manufactured  to- 
bacco at  the  factories  reaches  the  enormous  value  of 
$500,000,000.  These  figures  give  no  adequate  idea  of 
the  amount  actually  paid  for  it  by  the  consumers,  as  to 
this  must  be  added  cost  of  transportation,  storage,  ad- 
vertising', middlemen's  profit,  overhead  expense,  and 
scores  of  other  features  incident  to  the  business.  The 
millions  spent  for  foreign  tobacco  must  also  be  added. 
Statistics  of  the  exact  number  of  pounds  grown  and 
manufactured  are  not  difficult  to  obtain,  but  the  price 
actually  paid  for  the  finished  articles  constitutes  quite 
a  different  matter.  The  annual  farm  value  of  tobacco- 
leaf  reaches  practically  $125,000,000,  a  figure  increased 
four  times  after  the  material  has  been  manufactured. 
Various  estimates  of  careful  statisticians  have  placed 
the  amounts  actually  spent  by  the  people  of  the  United 
States  between  $800,000,000  and  $1,200,000,000.  Pro- 
fessor Henry  W.  Farnum  of  the  department  of  eco- 
nomics, Yale  University,  favors  the  latter  amount,  and 
states  that  two  independent  calculations  brought  him 
to  the  same  figure.  A  billion  dollar  annual  tobacco  bill, 
therefore,  may  be  regarded  as  a  conservative  estimate. 
Even  this  amount  does  not  include  the  enormous  sums 
paid  out  for  the  great  variety  of  accessories  to  smoking, 
such  as  pipes,  matches,  cuspidors,  and  the  many  devices 
for  holding  tobacco.  The  cost  of  pipes  alone  reaches 
nearly  two  million  dollars  per  year.  If  this  and  the 
other  items  were  added,  the  final  total  would  without 
doubt  reach  close  to  the  one  and  one  half  billion  dollar 
mark. 

A  tax  of  a  billion  dollars  per  year  may  mean  more 


158  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

by  comparison.  Tobacco  users  of  the  United  States 
spend  twice  as  much  as  that  paid  out  for  railroad  travel, 
and  one  and  one-half  times  as  much  as  the  cost  of  main- 
taining our  national  government. 

Our  public  school  system,  with  its  nineteen  million 
pupils  and  five  hundred  thousand  teachers,  costs  the 
people  less  than  one-half  as  much  as  tobacco. 

Three  Panama  canals  could  be  built  each  year  on  the 
amount  annually  expended  for  tobacco. 

Ten  times  as  many  universities  as  now  exist  in  the 
United  States  could  be  maintained  by  this  vast  tax. 

If  this  amount  were  converted  into  silver  dollars  and 
each  placed  edge  to  edge  it  would  form  a  belt  large 
enough  completely  to  engirdle  the  earth  at  its  largest 
diameter. 

It  would  construct  a  substantial  church  building 
every  fifteen  minutes,  or  700  such  buildings  in  every 
state  of  the  Union  annually. 

It  would  yearly  build  homes  for  200,000  widows  and 
provide  sufficient  funds  for  their  perpetual  upkeep. 
This  is  equivalent  to  4,000  such  homes  in  every  state 
annually. 

It  would  pay  the  traveling  expenses  and  general 
maintenance  of  one  million  Christian  missionaries. 

Losses  Through  Fire. — Unfortunately  the  total 
cost  of  the  tobacco  habit  is  by  no  means  limited  to  the 
actual  cash  paid  for  tobacco,  or  to  those  who  use 
it.  The  habit  is  directly  responsible  for  the  unnecessary 
destruction  of  millions  of  dollars  worth  of  property 
annually,  part  of  which  must  be  sustained  by  the  non- 


THE   COST  OF  TOBACCO  159 

user.  Losses  through  fire  constitutes  one  of  the  chief 
items  chargeable  to  the  tobacco  habit.  After  careful 
analysis  of  the  matter,  authorities  in  New  York  and 
other  eastern  cities  have  decided  that  fifteen  to  twenty 
per  cent  of  all  destructive  fires  are  caused  by  careless- 
ness in  smoking. 

The  great  Equitable  Building  is  said  to  have  been 
destroyed  because  of  the  careless  disposition  of  a  match 
which  had  been  used  to  light  a  cigar  or  cigarette.  The 
Triangle  shirtwaist  fire,  which  caused  the  destruction  of 
valuable  property  and  sacrificed  the  lives  of  140  work- 
ers, is  attributed  to  the  same  cause.  The  capitol  building 
at  Albany  suffered  a  loss  of  $6,000,000  through  a  fire 
said  to  have  been  started  by  smokers.  The  number  of 
lives  lost  in  fires  so  started  is  of-  course  impossible  to 
obtain,  but  all  authorities  agree  that  it  must  be  very 
large.  The  state  of  New  York  views  the  matter  with 
such  gravity  that  it  has  recently  enacted  a  law  against 
smoking  in  factories  where  inflammable  material  is 
used. 

The  use  of  tobacco  is  also  responsible  for  a  great 
many  forest  fires.  The  forester  of  Massachusetts  places 
the  responsibility  for  more  such  fires  upon  smokers 
than  upon  any  other  single  agency.  In  Connecticut  the 
state  forester  has  ascertained  that  of  116  fires  in  1912. 
25  were  due  to  smokers. 

An  exhaustive  report  made  a  few  years  ago  by  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey  places  the  annual  loss 
and  expense  due  to  fires  at  $456,000,000.  The  estimate 
of  Fire  Commissioner  Johnson  of  New  York  City  of 
the  part  played  by  smokers  would  accordingly  place  the 


160  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

annual  destruction  of  property  due  to  the  tobacco  habit 
at  practically  $100,000,000. 

Neither  is  the  responsibility  of  the  smoker  limited  to 
the  destruction  of  property  and  life.  Because  of  this 
practice,  all  property  owners  are  forced  to  share  the 
additional  cost  of  maintaining  fire  departments  as  well 
as  other  precautionary  methods.  The  cost  of  fire  in- 
surance is  likewise  increased. 

Diverting  Social  Activity. — Tobacco  users  very 
materially  increase  the  cost  of  living  by  diverting  social 
activity  into  lines  of  useless  production.  The  producer 
of  necessity  furnishes  whatever  the  consumer  demands. 
The  tobacco  growers  of  this  country  would  not  plant 
nearly  a  million  and  one-half  acres  of  our  choicest  land 
if  there  were  no  sale  for  the  product.  Tobacco  users, 
therefore,  are  directly  responsible  for  the  diversion  of 
this  vast  acreage  into  the  production  of  a  wholly  un- 
necessary article.  If  the  land  thus  pre-empted  were  not 
used  for  the  growing  of  tobacco,  it  would  be  devoted 
to  the  cultivation  of  vegetables,  to  dairy  farming,  or  to 
the  production  of  other  commodities,  thus  materially 
reducing  the  cost  of  staple  articles  of  food.  The  mat- 
ter more  fully  impresses  one  when.it  it  borne  in  mind 
that  the  farm  value  of  tobacco  is  fully  one-fourth  as 
great  as  that  of  all  vegetables  combined.  Tobacco  cul- 
ture also  greatly  impoverishes  the  soil. 

Special  Railroad  Equipment. — In  the  matter  of 
railroad  travel  and  other  means  of  transportation, 
smokers  impose  an  enormous  expense  upon  the  public. 
Although  they  are  never  charged  additional  fare,  yet 
they  are  always  provided   with   special   conveniences. 


THE   COST  OF  TOBACCO  161 

Free  smoking  rooms  and  smoking  cars  invariably  form 
a  prominent  feature  in  all  steamship  and  railroad  equip- 
ment. Even  in  local  raidroad  travel,  where  one  car  is 
sufficient  to  carry  all  passengers,  an  additional  one  must 
be  added  for  those  who  smoke.  In  Pullman  and  palace 
car  service  special  provision  is  always  made  for  the 
smoker,  often  very  much  to  the  inconvenience  of  other 
travelers.  In  fact  the  railroad  company  furnishes  the 
smoker  two  seats  (one  in  the  Pullman  and  one  in  the 
parlor  car)  for  the  price  of  one.  It  is  not  an  unusual 
occurrence  to  see  a  smoker  remain  away  from  his  Pull- 
man seat  all  day,  yet  it  can  be  sold  to  no  one  else. 

Even  the  observation  cars,  which  were  at  one  time 
provided  for  ordinary  passengers,  are  now  thrown  open 
to  smokers  who  compel  others  to  remain  out  because  of 
the  noxious  fumes  they  create.  Sensitive  women  who 
purposely  stay  away  from  the  parlor  cars  commonly 
suffer  great  inconvenience  and  often  distress  from  the 
fumes  rising  in  the. nearby  lounging  rooms.  The  only 
place  on  the  entire  train  not  befouled  by  the  smoker  is 
the  chair  car,  and  this  it  is  feared  will  pass  soon.  Even 
though  transportation  companies  charge  all  passengers 
the  same  fare,  they  seem  to  have  forgotten  the  rights  of 
the  non-smoker. 

Competent  authorities  estimate  that  in  the  United 
States  practically  $75,000,000  are  invested  in  smoking 
cars  alone,  not  including  parlor  cars  and  special  equip- 
ment in  other  places.  This  is  also  exclusive  of  the 
smoking  rooms  at  depots.  In  addition  to  paying  the 
interest  and  depreciation  on  the  capital  thus  invested. 
passengers  must  also  pay  the  increased  cost  of  haulage 
and  operation. 


162  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

Practically  every  luxury  in  the  modern  train,  if  not 
directly  provided  for  the  smoker's  use,  is  subject  to  his 
disposal.  The  extra  appointments  must  be  paid  for  by 
the  smoker  and  non-smoker  alike.  All  the  non-smoker 
obtains  for  his  share  in  the  expense  is  the  inconvenience 
arising  from  the  smoker's  gratification. 

Sanitary  Maintenance. — The  tobacco  habit  adds 
greatly  to  the  cost  of  keeping  the  world  clean.  Much 
of  the  unpleasant  work  of  floor-washers,  street  cleaners, 
train  porters,  and  even  housewives  arises  directly  from 
this  source.  Evidences  of  the  use  of  tobacco  may  be 
seen  in  the  humblest  cabin  and  the  stateliest  mansion, 
the  wayside  inn  and  the  cosmopolitan  hotel,  the  country 
shop  and  the  city  department  store,  the  dime  restaurant 
and  the  fashionable  eating  house.  Everywhere  through- 
out the  nation,  the  rich  and  the  poor  alike  are  provid- 
ing means  for  taking  care  of  the  tobacco  user's  filth. 
While  there  are  no  data  relating  to  even  the  approxi- 
mate cost  of  this  phase  of  our  sanitary  service,  yet  a 
casual  observation  in  our  streets,  hotels,  stores,  banks, 
clubs,  trains,  depots,  and  other  places  of  public  resort 
will  convince  the  most  skeptical  that  in  the  aggregate 
it  must  be  enormously  large.  The  great  army  of  men 
and  women  now  required  to  clean  up  after  the  tobacco 
iiser  could  be  diverted  to  profitable  production  were  it 
not  for  this  habit.  Unfortunately  the  expense  for  all 
this  is  paid  by  the  public  at  large. 

Sickness  and  Premature  Death. — The  deleterious 
effects  of  tobacco  upon  health  is  an  important  item  in 
the  cost  of  the  habit  to  the  country.  Medical  authorities 
are  practically  unanimous  in  the  opinion  that  the  use  of 


THE   COST  OF  TOBACCO  163 

tobacco  by  children  is  exceedingly  detrimental  to  health 
and  proper  development.  Cigarette-smoking  boys  are 
everywhere  described  as  under-sized  and  undeveloped. 
Scientists  have  shown  that  among  even  practically  ma- 
ture men  smokers  grow  much  less  rapidly  than  non- 
smokers.  It  has  recently  been  shown  that  football 
players  in  American  colleges  and  universities  have 
nearly  ten  per  cent  smaller  lung  capacity  than  their  non- 
smoking companions  of  the  same  age  and  weight. 
Medical  experts  recognize  a  long  line  of  diseases  aris-' 
ing  from  the  use  of  tobacco,  such  as  various  nervous 
ailments,  "smokers'  heart",  "smokers'  cancer",  indiges- 
tion, short  wind,  etc.  Prominent  physicians  regard 
smokers'  chances  for  recovery  from  serious  disease  or 
major  operation  as  much  less  favorable  than  those  of 
the  non-smokers.  Any  estimate  of  the  cost  of  tobacco 
to  the  country  must  take  into  consideration  the  ill- 
health,  disease  and  early  deaths  its  use  entails. 

Reduced  Mental  Efficiency.  The  tobacco  bill 
must  also  take  into  account  the  reduced  mental 
efficiency  of  those  addicted  to  the  habit.  Educators, 
the  world  over,  agree  that  low  mentality  is  almost  in- 
variably coupled  with  the  tobacco  habit  not  only  among 
grade  and  high  school  pupils  but  among  college 
students.  So  fully  has  this  matter  been  demonstrated 
that  tobacco  defenders  themselves  seldom  question  it. 
Recent  investigators  at  Clark  College,  Columbia  Uni- 
versity, the  University  of  Utah  and  elsewhere  have 
shown  that  the  final  grades  received  by  smokers  aver- 
age fully  five  to  ten  per  cent  below  those  of  the  non- 
smokers.    Tt  has  been  shown  at  the  University  of  Utah, 


164  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

and  elsewhere,  that  very  large  numbers  of  smokers 
fail  to  complete  the  work  upon  which  they  begin.  De- 
fenders of  tobacco  have  quite  generally  argued  that 
the  low  mental  efficiency  coupled  with  the  use  of  to- 
bacco is  not  caused  by  it,  but  Doctor  Bush  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Vermont  has  demonstrated  that  tobacco  is 
an  active  factor  in  the  reduction  of  mental  achievement. 
He  has  shown  that  even  old  smokers  suffer  ten  per  cent 
loss  in  mental  activity  after  smoking  for  fifteen  min- 
utes. 

The  exact  loss  to  the  country  arising  from  this 
reduced  mental  ability  no  one  can  even  approximate. 
Even  though  the  smokers  were  only  five  per  cent  less 
efficient  than  the  non-smokers,  the  aggregate  measured 
in  dollars  and  cents  would  be  enormously  large.  This 
is  particuarly  true  in  view  of  the  fact  that  successes 
and  failures  are  being  made  today  upon  very  small 
margins  of  superior  or  inferior  mental  attainments. 

Maintenance  of  Juvenile  Courts  and  Deten- 
tion Homes. — Juvenile  court  judges  and  probation 
officers  in  every  section  of  the  country  insist  that 
the  use  of  tobacco  is  one  of  the  chief  causes  contribut- 
ing to  delinquency  among  boys  of  the  adolescent  per- 
iod. In  fact  they  assert  that  the  yellow  stain  upon  the 
finger  tips  brands  practically  every  boy  who  appears 
before  them.  They  are  virtually  a  unit  in  the  opinion 
that  smoking  breaks  down  the  boy's  moral  fibre  and 
reduces  him  to  a  cowardly  shadow  of  his  natural 
strength.  They  universally  agree  that  such  smokers 
in  the  main  are  unreliable,  untruthful  and  dishonest, 
and   that  straightforward   frankness   is  seldom   found 


THE   COST  OF  TOBACCO  165 

among-  them.  Cigarette  smoking  is  known  to  produce 
a  deceitful  cuteness  among  boys  exceeded  only  by  that 
of  the  dope  fiend.  The  apparent  plausibility  of  the 
smoker's  explanations  is  one  of  the  first  evidences 
seized  upon  by  the  experienced  officer  in  working  out 
the  boy's  guilt. 

The  harm  thus  accomplished  by  cigarettes  by  no 
means  terminates  here.  Officers  and  physicians  who 
have  made  a  careful  study  of  the  matter  agree  that 
even  though  the  use  of  tobacco  does  not  itself  directly 
predispose  to  the  drink  habit  and  associated  vices,  yet  it 
so  softens  the  boy's  resistance  that  he  readily  falls  prey 
to  their  temptations.  Thus  the  result  is  the  same ;  cig- 
arettes first  and  alcohol  later.  No  less  an  authority 
than  Charles  B.  Towns  reports  that  out  of  six  to  seven 
thousand  cases  of  alcoholism  and  morphinism  in  men 
he  has  never  found  a  single  case  which  did  not  have 
a  history  of  excessive  tobacco  use.  The  same  authority 
adds  :  "I  consider  that  cigarette  smoking  is  the  greatest 
vice  devasting  humanity  today,  because  it  is  doing 
more  than  any  other  vice  to  deteriorate  the  race." 

The  anguish  forced  upon  mothers  and  fathers  by  the 
waywardness  of  their  boys  is  of  course  impossible  to 
measure  in  terms  of  dollars  and  cents.  Thousands 
upon  thousands  of  parents  suffer  indescribable  pain 
and  humility  because  of  the  incorrigibility  of  their 
sons,  and  almost  as  a  unit  they  date  the  beginning  of 
this  dishonor  from  the  smoking  of  the  first  cigarette. 
Tobacco  so  breaks  down  the  boy's  moral  fibre  that  he 
quickly  becomes  irritable,  selfish  and  soon  disrespectful, 
even  to  his  mother.     The  use  of  tobacco  is  without 


166  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

question  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  alienating  great 
armies  of  boys  and  later  young  men  from  the  confi- 
dence and  lives  of  their  parents. 

The  State  also  suffers  because  of  the  use  of  tobacco 
among  boys.  Practically  every  boy  who  appears  before 
the  Juvenile  Court  officers  is  addicted  to  the  habit,  and 
likewise  practically  every  boy  who  is  committed  to  a 
home  of  correction.  While  the  use  of  tobacco  is  evi- 
dently but  one  of  several  contributing  causes,  and  in 
some  cases  may  be  wholly  incidental,  yet  it  is  a  well 
known  fact  among  superintendents  of  detention  homes 
that  tobacco  destroys  the  boy's  resistance  to  temptation 
and,  in  consequence,  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  chief 
factors  of  his  downfall.  The  item  chargeable  to  tobacco 
in  the  maintenance  of  Juvenile  Courts  and  Detention 
Homes  must  in  the  aggregate  be  enormously  large. 

Reduced  Physical  Efficiency. — The  loss  of  time 
occasioned  by  the  use  of  tobacco  is  vastly  greater  than 
at  first  might  be  supposed.  Time  is  required  not  only 
for  the  preparation  and  consumption  of  the  tobacco, 
but  also  for  the  depressant  effects  to  disappear.  Among 
workingmen  this  item  has  become  so  serious  that  many 
employers  absolutely  prohibit  smoking  during  working 
hours.  Employers  who  are  quite  willing  that  their 
men  should  take  occasional  rests  are  not  willing  that 
time  should  be  wasted  in  the  preparation  and  use  of 
a  substance  which  further  reduces  their  capacity. 
Recent  investigations  into  various  industries  involving 
skilled  and  unskilled  labor  have  resulted  in  a  rather 
widespread  conviction  that  smokers  are  much  less 
efficient  than  non-smokers ;  that  is.  they  do  less  work  in 


THE   COST  OF  TOBACCO  107 

the  same  time.  One  large  quarrying  and  stone-dress- 
ing company  has  recently  learned  that  cigarette-smok- 
ers while  on  shift  employ  twenty  per  cent  of  their  time 
in  rolling  and  consuming  cigarettes. 

Among  brain  workers  there  are  in  the  main  two 
types  of  smokers,  those  who  cannot  work  while  smok- 
ing, and  those  who  cannot  work  without  smoking.  In 
the  first  case  the  depressant  action  of  nicotine  not  only 
reduces  mental  activity  but  the  desire  for  activity. 
Men,  who,  before  smoking,  are  active  and  ambitious 
become  comparatively  passive  and  indifferent  almost 
immediately  upon  beginning  to  smoke.  As  a  matter 
of  fact  one  of  the  chief  claims  made  for  tobacco  is  that 
it  soothes  and  passifies :  "It  dispels  fears  and  destroys 
cares."  The  quiet  curl  of  tobacco  smoke  is  described 
as  a  'mealing  balm  to  troubled  souls".  That  tobacco 
makes  good  this  claim  there  can  be  no  question  in  the 
minds  of  those  who  attend  committee  meetings  and 
luncheons  where  tobacco  is  excessively  used.  Busi- 
ness which  should  be  finished  in  minutes  often  requires 
hours,  and  programs  which  are  designed  to  be  serious 
often  become  little  short  of  ridiculous. 

Rest  obtained  through  the  use  of  a  narcotic  under 
normal  conditions  of  health  is  not  beneficial.  A  tired 
nervous  system,  when  quieted  by  nicotine,  commonly 
becomes  still  more  irritable  after  the  effects  of  the  nar- 
cotic have  passed,  hence  the  usual  practice  of  following 
one  smoke  almost  immediately  by  another.  The  sup- 
posed rest  obtained  during  smoking  is  largely 
imaginary.  Ordinary  fatigue  cannot  be  overcome  by 
rendering   the    nervous    system    insensible.      Smokers 


168  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

may  feel  that  they  return  to  their  work  refreshed,  but 
as  a  matter  of  fact  they  quickly  become  more  tired 
and  irritable  than  before.  The  point  here  is  that  smok- 
ing1 should  not  be  regarded  as  a  recreative  pastime. 

In  the  second  case  the  excessive  use  of  tobacco  long- 
continued  commonly  impairs  the  nervous  system  to 
such  an  extent  that  it  cannot  be  brought  down  to 
serious  tasks  unless  first  narcotized.  This  condition  is 
exemplified  by  smokers  who  cannot  work  without 
smoking,  and  who  smoke  faster  as  they  work  the 
harder.  Such  individuals  are  usually  irritable,  cross 
and  inefficient  when  deprived  of  their  tobacco. 

In  both  of  these  cases  the  habit  is  directly  respon- 
sible for  loss  of  time.  In  one  instance  it  reduces  the 
smoker's  ability  while  he  is  using  it,  and  in  the  other 
it  reduces  his  ability  even  while  he  is  without  it.  In 
no  case  has  anyone  seriously  maintained  that  tobacco 
actually  increases  mental  activity.  It  is  in  every  sense 
a  depressant  and  irritant.  If  the  time  lost  by  smok- 
ers, both  laborers  and  those  engaged  in  the  more  in- 
tellectual pursuits,  was  calculated  in  terms  of  dollars 
and  cents  the  total  sum  would  undoubtedly  be  far  in 
excess  of  the  enormous  amount  actually  paid  out  for 
tobacco. 

Smoking  and  the  highest  degree  of  manual  skill 
are  coming  to  be  regarded  by  man}-  manufacturers 
and  scientists  as  incompatible,  in  much  the  same  sense 
that  tobacco  and  high  scholarship  do  not  go  hand 
in  hand.  For  various  well  founded  reasons  the  use  of 
this  substance  is  now  looked  upon  as  particuarlv  de- 
structive  of   the   finer   senses   of   discrimination,   both 


THE   COST  OF  TOBACCO  169 

mental  and  physical,  a  condition  which  seems  to  apply 
with  unusual  emphasis  to  the  use  of  cigarettes. 

The  attitude  of  Thomas  A.  Edison,  the  greatest 
commercial  electrician  the  world  has  ever  known,  may 
be  regarded  as  indicative  of  the  trend  of  others  in  this 
matter.  Many  years  of  experience  have  forced  upon 
him  the  conclusion  that  men  who  smoke  cigarettes 
are  not  up  to  the  standard  of  average  efficiency.  It 
is  reported  that  some  time  ago  he  found  a  partially 
used  package  of  cigarettes  near  the  door  of  his  office, 
and  that  he  immediately  nailed  it  to  the  wall  along 
with  the  following  note :  "Some  degenerate  retro- 
grading toward  the  lower  animal  has  lost  his  packet. 
He  may  have  the  same  by  calling  upon  the  storekeeper." 
His  estimate  of  the  ruinous  effects  of  this  form  of  to- 
bacco he  tersely  expresses  thus :  "The  smoking  of  cig- 
arettes is  one  of  the  worst,  most  offensive  and  harmful 
habits  acquired  by  man.  It  ought  to  be  against  the 
law  to  smoke  or  sell  them.  They  go  well  together — 
cigarettes  and  alcohol — and  they  accomplish  wonders 
in  reducing  man  to  a  vicious  animal." 

The  widespread  feeling  opposed  to  the  employment 
of  cigarette  smokers,  especially  boys,  has  recently  ex- 
tended into  nearly  every  branch  of  commercialism.  The 
opposition  of  employers  to  this  practice  is  by  no  means 
based  upon  sentimentality,  but  largely  upon  dollars  and 
cents.  Employers  in  every  section  of  the  country  have 
borne  testimony  to  the  fact  that  cigarette-smokers  are 
far  less  efficient  than  non-smokers.  Many  of  them,  like 
the  Cadillac  Motor  Car  Company,  are  encouraging 
smokers  already  in  their  employ  to  abandon  the  habit 


170  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

and  are  refusing  to  hire  others  who  are  addicted  to  it. 

Just  how  much  money  is  annually  being  lost 
throughout  the  country  because  of  the  reduced  effic- 
iency of  smokers  cannot,  of  course,  be  safely  estimated, 
but  that  it  aggregates  an  enormous  sum  is  borne  out  by 
the  fact  that  the  commercial  world  is  taking  a  decided 
stand  to  avoid  it. 

The  actual  cost,  therefore,  of  tobacco  to  the  people 
of  the  United  States  is  by  no  means  measurable  in  dol- 
lars and  cents.  Aside  from  the  one  billion  dollars  or 
more  actually  paid  in  exchange  for  tobacco,  it  has  been 
shown  that  other  enormous  losses  come  through  fires 
caused  by  smokers,  through  diverting  social  activity 
into  lines  of  useless  production,  through  providing 
special  railroad  equipment,  through  impaired  health 
and  increased  disease,  through  reduced  mental  effic- 
iency, through  the  maintenance  of  Juvenile  Courts  and 
detention  homes,  through  loss  of  time  incident  to  the 
rolling  of  cigarettes  and  filling  of  pipes,  and  through 
actual  reduction  of  ability  mental  and  physical.  It 
would  appear  that  the  great  scientist  was  not  far  from 
right  when  he  declared  that  tobacco  is  one  of  the  most 
devastating  agencies  of  the  age.  It  certainly  is  one  of 
the  most  expensive. 


XIV 

TOBACCO  ESPECIALLY  HARMFUL  TO  BOYS 

Tobacco  is  especially  harmful  to  boys  chiefly  because 
of  two  conditions :  first,  boys  use  only  cigarettes — 
everywhere  regarded  as  the  most  dangerous  form  in 
which  tobacco  is  manufactured — ,  and,  second,  their 
bodies  are  in  an  immature,  transitory  stage  of  develop- 
ment. 

Without  doubt,  men's  bodies  are  much  slower  in 
throwing  out  danger  alarms  than  are  boys',  but  this 
is  due  to  greater  resistance,  and  not  to  greater  freedom 
from  attacks.  Boys  change  into  men  between  the  years 
of  twelve  and  eighteen,  and  even  at  the  latter  age  are 
often  quite  immature.  It  is  during  this  time  that  the  cig- 
arette habit  is  commonly  acquired.  Some, of  course,  learn 
it  earlier  and  some  later.  Throughout  this  transitory 
period  practically  every  organ  in  the  body  undergoes 
development  and  readjustment.  Evidently  such  a  body 
is  not  prepared  to  combat  an  enemy  with  anything  like 
as  much  success  as  it  could  in  later  life.  The  absence 
of  a  well-defined  sympathetic  interaction  of  the  various 
organs  permits  of  a  more  ready  ingress  of  disease,  as 
is  shown  in  the  higher  death  rate  of  this  period.  The 
man  is  by  no  means  simply  an  enlarged  boy,  but  a 
new  individual,  with  new  body  and  new  ways  of  think- 
ing and  acting. 

Unfortunately  the  cigarette  habit  attacks  the  boy  at 
a  time  when  he  is  least  of  all  prepared  to  meet  it.    His 


172  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

various  organs  are  not  in  complete  sympathy  one  with 
another,  and  his  reserves  are  but  poorly  organized. 
The  attack  of  cigarettes  upon  such,  a  body,  however, 
is  no  more  intense  than  upon  the  body  of  a  mature 
man,  but  the  defense  is  much  weaker  and  the  results 
correspondingly  more  disastrous. 

Then  again,  the  influence  of  tobacco  at  this  time  of 
the  boy's  life  is  particularly  serious,  because  of  the  nar- 
cotic effect  coming  when  otherwise  both  his  body  and 
mind  are  in  a  state  of  constant  activity.  Activity  on 
the  part  of  the  youth  is  absolutely  essential  to  devel- 
ment.  The  depressing  effect  of  tobacco  ties  him  body 
and  limb  just  as  effectively  as  do  strong  cords.  No 
cigarette-smoking  boy  desires  mental  or  physical  ac- 
tivity, in  fact  he  is  practically  incapacitated  for  either. 
It  would  be  almost  as  disappointing  to  expect  an  in- 
veterate smoker  of  cigarettes  to  develop  into  a  strong 
intelligent  man,  as  it  would  a  baby,  tied  to  its  crib 
with  cords  and  straps.  Tobacco  strikes  at  the  founda- 
tion of  proper  development  by  fostering  desire  for  in- 
activity and  idleness. 

The  following  quotations  concerning  the  effect  of 
tobacco  upon  boys  leave  no  room  for  doubt  as  to 
the  widespread  nature  of  the  calamity.  The  state- 
ments, it  will  be  observed,  come  from  nearly  every  sec- 
tion of  the  country,  and  if  neccesary  every  city  and 
hamlet  in  the  United  States  could  be  represented. 

L.  H.  Jones,  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction, 
Cleveland,  Ohio : 

"The  use  of  tobacco  by  children  is  very  seriously 
had,  physically  and  mentally.     The  tendency  is  to  pre- 


TOBACCO  ESPECIAI.LV   HARMFUL  TO  BOYS    173 

vent  development  of  the  muscles  and  bones  and  nerves. 
The  cigarette  smoker  becomes  restless,  unable  to  con- 
centrate his  attention,  and  he  soon  loses  interest  in  the 
work  of  the  school,  because  he  is  unable  to  so  master 
the  work  as  to  secure  any  interest  from  it.  Besides  this, 
the  company  into  which  the  practice  of  smoking  leads 
him  is  of  such  a  character  as  to  change  his  interests 
from  those  of  pure,  moral,  upright  childhood  into 
the  low,  coarse,  and  debased  ideals  of  the  street  life." 

D.  C.  Hull,  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools,  Me- 
ridian, Miss. : 

"This  confirmed  and  inveterate  use  of  tobacco,  ac- 
cording to  my  observation  and  experience  with  boys, 
especially  when  the  habit  of  inhaling  smoke  is  in- 
dulged, invariably  destroys  physical  stamina,  weakens 
intellectual  power,  and  lowers  moral  standards.  The 
usual  result  is  failure  in  studies  and  discontinuance 
from  school." 

R.  H.  Webster,  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion, San  Francisco,  Cal. : 

"It  is  a  well  established  fact  that  the  deleterious  ef- 
fects of  cigarette  smoking  manifest  themselves  most 
promptly  in  the  growing  youth,  by  stunting  growth, 
impairing  nerves,  dulling  the  intellect  and  moral  sense." 

Fred  M.  Hunter,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Lin- 
coln. Nebraska : 

"In  my  opinion  the  cigarette  habit  is  the  worst  prac- 
tice widely  prevalent  among  growing  boys.  It  con- 
tributes in  a  very  large  degree  to  the  mental,  moral  and 
physical  lapses  so  prevalent  among  boys^c  -clioo!  age." 


174  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

Geo.  F.  Downer,  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools, 
Butte,  Montana: 

"I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  influence  of 
cigarette  smoking  upon  pupils  in  the  grades  and  high 
school,  so  far  as  my  observations  go,  is  never  other 
than  thoroughly  bad.  In  an  experience  of  nearly 
twenty  years  in  school  work,  I  have  never,  so  far  as 
my  recollection  goes,  known  an  habitual  cigarette 
smoker  who  was  a  good  student.  In  this  city,  cigarette 
smoking  is  in  every  respect  our  greatest  difficulty  in 
getting  satisfactory  work  from  pupils,  and  I  must 
confess  that  I  cannot  say  we  are  very  suc- 
cessful in  combating  the  evil.  I  have  always  been  in 
close  touch  with  students,  in  my  schools  through  their 
athletics  and  other  student  interests,  and  know  whereof 
I  speak  when  I  say  that  the  cigarette  is  invariably 
detrimental  to  the  mental,  moral  and  physical  welfare 
of  pupils  who  use  it." 

Mary  Harlow,  Principal  of  the  Louisville  Public 
Schools,  Louisville,  Kentucky : 

"One  of  the  greatest  evils  we  had  to  combat  was  the 
cigarette  habit.  We  have  every  evidence  that  the 
growth  of  both  mind  and  body  is  seriously  impaired 
by  this  narcotic.  The  boys  do  not  smoke  around  school, 
but  I  fear  that  in  the  homes  it  is  regarded  by  the  par- 
ents as  a  necessary  evil.  It  is  a  menace  worthy  of 
serious  attention,  for  much  of  the  deliquency  and  re- 
tardation can  be  traced  to  this  source." 

J.  Arthur  Baird,  County  Judge,  Carthage,  Illinois : 

"I  have  been  working  with  and  among  boys  all  my 
life  and  never  have  I  seen  one  instance  where  tobacco 


TOBACCO  ESPECIALLY  HARMFUL  TO  BOYS      175 

ever  did  him  any  good,  and  on  the  contrary  I  have  seen 
hundreds  of  examples  where  tobacco  has  dwarfed 
growing  boys  physically  and  mentally  and  I  know  that 
the  use  of  cigarettes  has  a  very  degrading  tendency  on 
boys  and  young  men.  My  experience  has  been  that 
this  habit  causes  them  to  lower  their  ideals,  lose  re- 
spect for  themselves,  respect  for  their  superiors  and 
respect  for  the  truth,  and  that  users  of  such  seem  to 
lose  all  the  higher  senses  of  honor." 

The  relative  influence  of  tobacco  upon  youths  and 
grownups  may  be  compared  with  that  of  a  blight  upon 
saplings  and  fully  developed  trees.  The  young  tree 
when  first  planted  consists  commonly  of  a  few  limbs 
and  about  an  equal  number  of  roots.  Under  proper 
conditions  of  climate,  soil  and  nourishment,  such  a  tree 
year  after  year  sends  its  roots  farther  into  the  ground 
and  its  branches  farther  into  the  air,  until  finally  the 
roots  develop  into  a  complicated  system  drawing  food 
from  every  particle  of  soil  within  rods  around ; 
the  branches  divide  and  subdivide  in  such  a  manner 
that  an  abundant  foliage  is  produced  to  gather  a 
counterbalancing  nourishment  from  the  air.  At  length 
the  tree  ceases  to  become  appreciably  larger,  the  roots 
stop  their  rapid  development,  and  the  foliage  changes 
but  little  from  year  to  year ;  this  is  the  stage  of  matur- 
ity, a  time  at  which  the  tree  has  reached  its  highest 
efficiency  and  possesses  the  greatest  resistance. 

During  the  period  of  development  the  roots  and 
branches  are  under  the  necessity  of  supplying  suffic- 
ient food  for  growth  and  for  maintenance,  but  during 
the  mature  stage  food  for  maintenance  only  is  needed, 


176  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

for  the  increase  in  size  has  naturally  ceased.  Young 
trees  are  capable  of  presenting  but  very  little  resist- 
ance to  disease,  while  mature  ones  seemingly  pass 
through  attacks  of  equal  severity  without  difficulty. 
A  single  season  of  drought  is  ordinarily  sufficient  to 
destroy  every  tree  in  a  young  orchard,  while  old  ones 
may  live  on  for  years.  The  young  tree  has  not  estab- 
lished itself,  and  in  consequence  has  no  reserves  upon 
which  to  draw  in  case  of  emergency.  Even  though  the 
immature  trees  may  chance  to  survive  the  attacks  of 
blight  and  drought,  they  invariably  carry  the  effects 
throughout  the  remaining  part  of  their  existence,  the 
effect  being  commonly  exhibited  in  stunted  or  assymet- 
ricial  growth.  At  best  they  can  never  more  than  parti- 
ally overcome  the  handicap  and  will  always  remain 
crippled.  Orchardists  have  long  since  adopted  the 
practice  of  replacing  these  stunted  trees  with  younger 
and  more  perfect  ones. 

No  one  will  argue  that  a  tree,  fully  established  and 
mature,  is  capable  of  passing  unharmed  through  the  re- 
peated attacks  of  blight  and  drought,  neither  should 
it  be  argued  that  a  mature  man  can  live  on  unaffected 
by  a  drug  such  as  nicotine,  for  he,  like  the  tree,  must 
finally  yield  under  the  weight  of  the  additional  load. 

Young  boys,  like  young  trees,  are  particularly  sus- 
ceptible to  the  attacks  of  disease  and  malnutrition. 
The  body  itself,  in  addition  to  being  unbalanced  and 
asymmetrical,  is  called  upon  to  supply  nourishment  for 
a  constantly  enlarging  body.  Tn  spite  of  the  fact  that 
every  organ  is  rapidly  undergoing  change  and  that 
instability  exists  on  everv  hand,  the  bodv  as  a  whole 


TOBACCO  ESPECIALLY  HARMFUL  TO  BOYS     177 

is  insisting  upon  every  organ  working  overtime  to 
meet  the  demands  of  the  bigger  body.  At  such 
a  time  the  accumulation  of  reserve  materials  is 
evidently  neglected.  The  fires  are  burning  brightly 
in  the  boxes,  but  there  is  no  storage  coal  in  the 
bunkers. 

Under  such  conditions  the  administration  of  a  drug 
not  only  reduces  the  working  ability  of  every  vital 
organ,  but  imposes  upon  them  additional  loads.  Yet 
this  is  precisely  what  occurs  in  the  smoking  of  cigar- 
ettes. Tobacco  smoke  not  only  attacks  the  lining  of 
the  mouth  and  throat,  but  the  2,000  square  feet  of  lung 
surface.  Aside,  therefore,  from  inducing  various  nasal 
and  throat  disturbances,  it  greatly  impairs  the  func- 
tions of  respiration,  resulting  in  a  vitiated  condition  of 
the  blood.  Tobacco  also  has  a  marked  effect  upon  the 
heart,  causing  palpitation,  extraordinary  irregularity, 
and  weak  and  intermittent  pulse.  The  extreme  preva- 
lence of  "tobacco  hearts"  among  cigarette  smokers  has 
received  attention  in  another  section.  Tobacco  attacks 
the  stomach  principally  through  the  nicotine  swal- 
lowed with  the  saliva  and  through  the  lack  of  proper 
circulation,  resulting  in  dyspepsia  and  want  of  appetite. 
Nervousness  follows  the  use  of  tobacco,  a  condition 
thought  to  be  primarily  due  to  lack  of  proper  nutrition, 
and  also  to  its  direct  effect  upon  the  nerves  themselves. 
In  a  word,  tobacco  prevents  the  normal  activity  of  the 
mucous  membrane,  it  injures  the  stomach,  brain,  heart 
lungs,  liver  and  it  shatters  the  nervous  system,  thus 
over-working  and  impairing  nearly  every  vital  organ 
and  function  of  the  body. 


178  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

It  is  no  wonder,  therefore,  that  the  boy  weakens  and 
fails  through  the  use  of  tobacco.  He,  like  the  young 
sapling,,  is  attacked  at  a  time  not  only  when  the  var- 
ious organs  are  immature,  but  when  they  are  called 
upon  to  furnish  nourishment  for  a  constantly  growing 
body.  It  would  be  no  more  impossible  for  a  young 
tree  to  put  forth  a  healthy  growth  of  leaves  and 
branches  throughout  a  period  of  disease  and  drought, 
than  it  would  be  for  a  boy  properly  to  develop  while 
using  cigarettes.  Tobacco  prevents  proper  develop- 
ment, and,  perhaps  what  is  worse,  imposes  injuries 
which  are  seldom  removed,  even  after  normal  condi- 
tions are  restored.  Tobacco  not  only  stunts  the  boy's 
body  and  mind  but  it  perverts  his  whole  moral  being. 
Physical  infirmities,  mental  deficiencies  and  moral  de- 
linquencies follow  as  natural  corollaries  of  cigarette 
bondage. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  great  tobacco  com- 
panies understand  this  condition  quite  as  fully  as  any 
one  else.  Certainly  it  is  not  by  mere  chance  that  the 
bulk  of  all  advertising  money  is  spent  on  cigarettes, 
rather  on  cigars  or  chewing  tobacco.  It  is  also  a  well- 
known  fact  that  boys  begin  using  tobacco  with  the 
cigarette,  and  it  is  equally  true  that  the  percentage  of 
boys  who  discontinue  the  use  of  tobacco  after  once  ac- 
quiring the  habit  is  exceedingly  small.  All  this  is  well 
understood,  yet  the  great  mass  of  American  parents 
are  passively  permitting  their  boys  to  be  poisoned  right 
at  a  time  when  they  are  the  most  susceptible,  and  at  a 
time  when  the  injuries  are  such  that  they  never  can  be 
overcome. 


TOBACCO  ESPECIALLY  HARMFUL  TO  BOYS     179 

Americans  resent  the  presence  of  predacious  animals 
within  their  flocks  and  herds,  of  weevils  in  their  hay, 
and  smut  in  their  grain, yet  most  of  them  are  apparently 
willing  that  a  far  more  serious  peril  should  spring  up 
and  develop  among  their  boys.  The  writer  feels  cer- 
tain that  within  the  next  few  years  reforms  will  make 
it  as  difficult  for  boys  and  young  men  to  obtain  tobacco 
as  it  will  be  for  them  to  obtain  alcohol  and  opium. 


XV 

ACQUIRING  THE  HABIT 

The  Boy. — Practically  every  boy  who  smokes  began 
the  habit  clandestinely,  a  condition  that  would  have 
been  impossible  if  fathers  had  possessed  the  full  confi- 
dence of  their  sons.  Furthermore,  it  is  the  ordinary 
boy,  and  not  the  exceptional  one  who  acquires  the 
habit.  He  comes  alike  from  the  homes  of  the  rich 
and  the  poor,  the  learned  and  the  unlearend,  the  saint 
and  the  sinner,  the  lofty  and  the  humble.  He  is  the 
ordinary  boy  with  the  ordinary  boy's  aspirations  and 
temptations.  There  are  exceptions,  of  course,  both 
better  and  worse,  but  this  is  the  boy  in  which  most 
interest  should  center,  because  he  forms  the  bulk  of 
boys. 

To  the  ordinary  boy  the  lure  of  adventure  alone  is 
often  sufficiently  strong  to  tempt  him  into  the  taking 
of  his  first  cigarette,  even  though  he  may  have  been 
previously  warned  against  it;  with  the  untutored 
and  untrained  boy  the  habit  is  even  more  easily  ac- 
quired. The  curiosity  aroused  by  the  curling  smoke 
and  the  sweetish  odor  of  the  cigarette  is  almost  irresist- 
ible even  to  the  average  boy  who  knows  better,  and 
quite  so  to  the  one  who  has  not  been  taught  the  neces- 
sity of  resistance.  This  is  all  especially  true  if  the 
cigarette  is  being  smoked  by  an  older  boy  who  is  re- 
garded as  the  leader  of  the  crowd. 

Smoking  is  commonly  acquired  within  the  so-called 


ACQUIRING  THE  HABIT  181 

''hero-worshiping"  stage,  a  period  during  which  the 
boy's  thoughts,  ambitions  and  deeds  are  prompted  al- 
most exclusively  by  the  daring  and  adventures  of 
others.  During  this  period  he  begins  to  feel  the  power 
of  possibilities  coming  upon  him,  and  he  is  wiling  to 
undertake  almost  anythng  for  the  sake  of  experience. 
He  feasts  upon  the  stories  and  adventures  of  others 
and  longs  for  participation.  His  ideal  is  the  hero  who 
swings  into  prominence  through  a  single  act  of  cour- 
age. He  longs  for  a  following  and  to  follow.  He 
wants  to  do  anything  and  everything.  He  must  be 
active.  He  is  impatient  and  cannot  center  himself  upon 
any  one  thing  for  more  than  a  short  time.  This  is  the 
usual,  ordinary  boy.  One  who  does  not  possess  some 
such  qualities  is  sick  and  needs  a  physician. 

No  one  should  expect  that  this  bundle  of  seemingly 
erratic  impulses  would  conduct  itself  in  the  manner  of 
man,  or  that  it  could  be  relied  upon  to  do  the  same 
thing  more  than  once  in  the  same  way.  When  temp- 
tation appears  this  boy  is  just  about  as  likely  to  resist 
as  to  accede.  If  he  is  left  alone,  however,  there  is  no 
question  that  he  will  soon  lend  ear  to  the  voice  of  temp- 
tation. It  is  during  this  period  that  he  commonly 
learns  to  smoke.  He  longs  for  experience  which  he 
sees  others  enjoying.  He  may  remember  some  warn- 
ing, relative  to  its  evil  effects,  but  that  seems  like  a 
fancy  in  comparison  with  the  pleasurable  participation 
right  before  him.  He  witnesses  the  apparent  enjoy- 
ment of  smokers  and  feels  that  he  is  missing  a  large 
part  of  life's  pleasures.  He  sees  men  smoking;  he 
longs  to  be  a  man  and  feels  that  smoking  would  make 


182  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

him  manly.  And  so  he  smokes  and  has  his  experience 
of  subsequent  sickness.  But  to  him  the  reward  of  this 
is  that  the  following  indulgences  are  attended  by  less 
severe  disturbances,  until  finally  he  can  smoke  without 
being  sick,  which  to  him  is  an  achievement  becoming 
of  manhood. 

Then  again  he  smokes  because  of  the  pleasure  which 
clandestine  indulgence  brings  to  him.  A  smoke  on  the 
veranda,  in  the  presence  of  father  and  mother,  would 
be  robbed  of  its  chief  charm,  while  one  secretly  in- 
dulged in  behind  the  barn-yard  fence  or  within  the  wil- 
low thicket  is  ideal.  The  pleasure  of  doing  a  thing 
without  being  "caught  at  it,"  is  to  him  of  the  highest 
sort,  and  more  particularly  if  he  feels  that  he  is  under 
suspicion.  Even  older  people  are  not  wholly  unac- 
quainted with  the  lure  of  secrecy. 

And  still  later  the  boy  smokes  because  he  enjoys 
being  regarded  as  tough.  After  he  has  passed  the 
stages  of  secret  smoking  he  walks  up  and  down  the 
busiest  thoroughfare,  smoke  in  mouth  and  hat  askew, 
with  the  hope  of  shocking  his  friends.  He  wants  them 
to  know  that  he  smokes,  and,  further,  that  he  is  doing 
it  in  defiance  of  their  non-approval. 

He  has  long  been  told,  at  least  by  example,  that 
while  smoking  may  be  bad  for  boys,  it  is  harmless  for 
men.  He  begins  to  look  upon  himself  as  a  man,  and 
feels  that  he  has  a  right  to  wear  (smoke)  the  distinc- 
tion. He  feels  that  he  has  escaped  the  evils  of  youth- 
ful indulgence  and  that  he  can  now  smoke  with  im- 
punity. But  long  before  this  stage  is  reached  the  vic- 
ious  tendrils   of  nicotine   have   worked   their   way  so 


ACQUIRING  THE  HABIT  183 

thoroughly  into  his  system  that  he  has  become  en- 
slaved to  the  habit.  He  smokes  now  not  only  because 
he  likes  it  but  because  he  cannot  do  without  it.  His 
experience  has  caused  him  to  exchange  positions  with 
nicotine ;  once  he  was  master  and  commanded ;  now  he 
is  servant  and  obeys. 

Thus  the  normal  boy,  through  yielding  to  tempta- 
tion, is  gradually  and  often  quickly  carried  into  a  servi- 
tude from  which  release  is  seldom  accomplished.  In 
this  connection  one  point  at  least  is  noteworthy :  The 
boy  who  acquires  the  habit  does  not  do  so  because  he  is 
bad,  but  simply  through  yielding  to  the  normal  impulses 
for  adventure  peculiarly  characteristic  of  this  transi- 
tory period.  Any  plan  designed  for  the  prevention 
or  treatment  of  the  cigarette  habit  among  boys  must 
use  this  fact  as  its  groundwork. 

Encouragement  from  Grownups. — By  no  means 
the  least  important  factor  in  starting  boys  upon  their 
cigarette-slmoking  careers  is  the  direct  influence  of 
certain  grownups.  Only  in  very  exceptional  cases, 
however,  are  adults  ever  known  actually  to  advise 
boys  to  begin  smoking.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  even  the 
strongest  advocates  of  tobacco,  and  those  most  de- 
bauched by  it,  regard  such  an  action  as  little  short  of 
criminal.  The  laws  of  the  state  of  Utah  go  so  far  as 
to  declare  that  any  act  whatsoever  on  the  part  of  an 
adult,  leading  directly  to  the  use  of  tobacco  by  an  indi- 
vidual under  twenty-one  years  of  age,  is  punishable  as 
a  misdemeanor,  entailing  either  fine  or  imprisonment 
or  both.  The  matter  is  regarded  with  such  seriousness 
Chat  even  the  purchasing  of  tobacco  by  a  child  for  its 


184  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

parent  is  prohibited  by  law.  Strenuous  efforts  are 
everywhere  being  made  to  prevent  grownups  from  thus 
directly  contributing  to  the  delinquency  of  minors. 
While  of  course  infractions  of  this  law  are  altogether 
too  numerous,  yet  they  sink  into  insignificance  in  com- 
parison with  the  harm  done  in  other  ways. 

The  gravity  of  the  whole  situation  is  attested  by  the 
fact  that  smokers  and  non-smokers  have  united  in  the 
adoption  of  a  great  variety  of  means  designed  to  pre- 
vent boys  from  smoking — that  is  forceful  means.  And 
herein  lies  a  deplorable  condition.  Adults  know  that 
tobacco  is  injurious  to  boys,  and  have  resorted  to  num- 
erous schemes,  chiefly  compulsory,  to  keep  it  from 
them.  Grownups  have  even  made  it  a  criminal  of- 
fense for  a  boy  to  have  tobacco  in  his  possession.  The 
intention  without  doubt  is  a  commendable  one.  At 
the  same  time,  adults  know  that  tobacco  is  harmful  to 
grownups,  and  they  try  to  excuse  their  own  use  of  it 
by  telling  the  boys  that  age  establishes  a  kind  of 
immunity  against  it. 

Tf  there  can  be  any  question  whatever  in  the  mind 
of  anyone  as  to  the  injury  of  tobacco  to  adults,  an  in- 
quiry from  an  old  smoker  should  settle  the  matter. 
Even  the  most  robust  individuals  who  have  used  to- 
bacco for  some  time  invariably  admit  that  it  has  been 
injurious  to  them,  and,  furthermore,  they  advise 
younger  men  to  abstain  from  it.  Science  has  proven 
that  tobacco  is  harmful  both  to  old  and  young, 
although  the  evil  effects  may  not  be  so  pronounced  in 
the  former  as  in  the  latter. 

The  absurdity  of  the  situation  is  revealed  in  the  fact 


ACQUIRING  THE  HABIT  185 

that  adults  brand  smoking  among  boys  as  not  only 
harmful  but  criminal,  while  among  themelves  it  is 
harmless  and  almost  saintly.  A  cigarette-smoking  boy 
when  apprehended  is  promptly  taken  before  the  law, 
but  in  most  cases,  even  a  preacher  may  carry  his 
lighted  cigar  to  the  very  steps  of  his  sanctuary  and  then 
be  hailed  as  a  servant  of  the  great  Master.  To  the 
average  boy  the  whole  affair  is  taken  with  about  the 
same  grace  as  are  the  statements  of  a  bald-headed 
barber  in  trying  to  sell  hair  tonic.  Smoking-parents 
may  be  able  to  deceive  their  children  when  quite  im- 
mature, but  the  ordinary  boy  sees  through  his  father's 
ruse  long  before  the  parent  suspects  it.  He  argues, 
and  that  correctly,  that  if  the  same  kind  of  food  and 
drink  are  good  for  both,  then  why  not  tobacco? 

Grownups,  in  thus  trying  to  deceive  children,  do  an 
irreparable  harm.  Children  become  deceitful  and  un- 
truthful, and  in  such  they  are  but  following  the  exam- 
ple of  their  elders.  They  lose  confidence  in  their  par- 
ents and  no  one  can  scarcely  censure  them  for  it.  They 
look  upon  life  as  being  made  up  of  words  and  not  of 
deeds,  a  condition  in  this  respect  which  smoking-parents 
cannot  deny.  They  learn  the  habit  of  smoking  far  more 
effectively  than  it  could  be  taught  in  words,  for  after 
all,  example  is  much  stronger  than  precept.  As  proof 
of  the  effects  of  smoking-fathers  upon  their  sons  we 
need  only  observe  that  smoking  is  almost  universally 
practiced  by  the  boys  in  such  families. 

Boys  naturally  have  an  unlimited  amount  of  confi- 
dence in  their  parents,  and  when  that  confidence  is  lost, 
it  is  largely  lost  in  the  rest  of  mankind.     Parents  cer- 


186  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

tainly  can  never  be  successful  with  their  children  by 
being-  dishonest  with  them,  for  sooner  or  later  they  will 
be  discovered.  Open  frankness  and  absolute  truthful- 
ness are  winning  virtues.  If  fathers  have  insufficient 
courage  and  self-control  to  overcome  a  habit  that  they 
know  to  be  injurious  to  the  human  race,  it  would  be 
far  better  for  them  to  acknowledge  their  weakness  than 
to  attempt  deceit.  Any  plan  designed  for  the  pre- 
vention of  cigarette-smoking  among  boys  must  embody 
a  factor  for  the  correction  of  the  influence  now  exerted 
by  smoking  grownups. 

Dr.  J.  R.  Leadsworth  says  of  the  encouragement 
given  by  fathers : 

"Can  it  be  supposed  for  a  moment  that  in  a  home 
where  tobacco  fumes  constantly  permeate  the  rooms. 
such  a  powerful  volatile  poison  would  have  no  de- 
leterious effect  upon  the  mother  and  children  who 
spend  almost  their  entire  time  in  such  an  atmosphere? 
Does  it  not  seem  reasonable  that  a  child  reared  from 
the  cradle  under  such  conditions  should  present  symp- 
toms of  nicotine  poisoning  even  though  it  has  never 
become  a  victim  of  the  habit?  But  how  few  boys, 
when  the  husband  and  father  is  addicted  to  its  use, 
escape  the  injurious  habit?  When  we  remember  with 
what  pride  the  boy  looks  upon  his  papa,  and  what 
interest  he  takes  in  a  recital  of  the  daily  details  of 
the  parent's  life — all  of  which  proves  to  him  that  no 
other  boy  has  such  a  father — it  is  reasonable  to  ex- 
pect that  he  would  be  eager  to  follow  his  example  even 
in  this  harmful  practice.  Too  often  the  practice  of 
smoking  is  taken  up  during  the  impressionable  years 


ACQUIRING  THE  HABIT  187 

of  childhood  and  youth,  with  the  result  that  the  brain 
faculties  never  fully  develop." 

Following  the  enactment  of  a  stringent  law  dealing 
with  the  use  of  tobacco  by  minors,  the  public  school 
teachers  of  California  recently  began  a  campaign 
against  narcotics.  By  far  the  most  serious  difficulty 
encountered  was  the  nearly  universal  practice  of  smok- 
ing by  grownups.  The  following  question  was  dis- 
cussed at  one  of  the  institutes  and  later  submitted 
by  the  State  Superintendent  to  a  number  of  Califor- 
nia's most  successful  public  school  teachers : 

"What's  the  use  to  tell  the  children  about  the  effect 
of  tobacco?  "We  can  talk  to  them  all  day  and  then 
go  home  at  night  to  see  the  very  people  they  think 
most  of  in  all  the  world,  smoking  like  a  house  afire. 
They  see  people  hale  and  hearty  who  have  been  using 
tobacco  every  day  for  fifty  or  sixty  years.  They  see 
the  rich  and  prosperous  enjoying  it.  They  constantly 
see  educated  people,  fashionable  people,  using  the 
weed.  What's  the  use  after  that  for  the  school  teacher 
to  tell  them  that  it  is  poisonous,  that  it  stunts  their 
growth,  that  it  kills  them  off,  and  all  that?  We 
waste  our  time  and  get  nowhere  in  that  way." 

Teachers  from  every  part  of  the  state  voiced  a 
strong  protest  against  the  deceiving  and  deterring 
attitude  of  smoking  grownups.  They  agreed  that  the 
duty  imposed  upon  them  by  law  was  thus  made  many 
times  more  difficult.  Some  few  even  felt  that  the 
task  was  an  impossible  one,  but  the  great  majority 
insisted  that  right  is  right  and  should  be  taught  even 
in  the  face  of  smoking  parents. 


188  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

Mr.  James  E.  Armstrong,  President  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees,  University  of  Illinois,  voices  the  same 
protest  from  quite  another  section  of  the  country : 

"There  are  few  cigarette  smokers  in  the  high 
school.  Smokers  usually  fail  to  get  through  the  gram- 
mar grades.  Few  ever  graduate  who  smoke  before 
they  enter  the  high  school.  As  a  rule  the  smoker 
is  dull  and  unable  to  concentrate  his  attention  upon 
his  work.  It  is  difficult  to  arouse  him  to  any  degree 
of  enthusiasm.  So  long  as  men  indulge  in  smoking 
it  will  be  hard  to  persuade  the  boys  that  they  should 
shun  it,  and  so  long  as  boys  continue  to  learn  the 
habit  there  will  be  men  to  perpetuate  it." 

Parents  and  others  who  knowingly  or  otherwise 
teach  children  to  smoke  will  get  but  little  comfort 
from  the  following  statement  of  Dr.  Harvey  W. 
Wiley,  enumerating  the  various  calamities  accompany- 
ing the  use  of  tobacco  by  children : 

"You  mothers,  whose  boys  are  just  beginning  at  the 
age  of  ten  to  find  opportunities  to  acquire  the  cig- 
arette habit,  what  may  you  expect  if  they  do?  Here 
are  a  few  of  the  possibilities : 

"They  will  acquire  a  habit  which  may  bring  them 
into  sympathetic  associations  with  the  boys  who  are 
going  to  the  bad. 

"They  will  be  slaves  to  a  habit  which  segregates 
them  from  the  common  crowd  of  travelers  and  spec- 
tators. 

"They  will  join  the  procession  that  is  made  up  of 
marchers  with  hesitating  steps,  shaky  hands,  and  pal- 
pitating hearts. 


ACQUIRING  THE  HABIT  189 

"They  will  unfit  themselves  for  athletic  sports  and 
hisfh  attainments  in  their  studies. 

"They  will  weaken  their  resistance  to  disease  and 
fall  easy  victims  to  infection. 

"They  will  exclude  themselves  from  many  activities 
leading  to  higher  pay  and  preferment. 

"They  will  waste  large  sums  of  money  while  doing 
themselves  lasting,  perhaps  even  fatal,  injury. 

"They  will  more  readily  become  victims  of  alcohol, 
cocaine,  opium,  and  other  narcotic  drugs. 

"They  will  mar  the  efficiency  of  their  work. 

"They  will  shorten  their  lives. 

"Their  presence  will  disclose  itself  to  the  nostrils  of 
all  their  associates." 

Tobacco  Advertising. — Along  with  the  natural 
desire  of  children  to  imitate  grownups,  and  the  care- 
lessness or  willingness  of  grownups  to  provide  un- 
savory examples,  the  American  tobacco  combination 
plays  an  important  part  in  inducing  boys  and  young 
men  to  acquire  the  habit.  The  history  of  the  combina- 
tion began  in  1890  with  the  coalescence  of  several  in- 
dependent concerns.  The  profits  were  enormously 
large,  so  that  by  1906  its  aggregate  capitalization  in- 
cluding bonds  reached  $450,395,890,  and  at  the  same 
time  controlled  practically  80%  of  the  tobacco  busi- 
ness of  the  country.  In  191 1  the  combination  was  pro- 
ceeded against  under  the  Sherman  Anti-trust  act  and 
later  declared  unlawful,  so  that  at  the  present  time  it 
is  doing  business  under  various  successor  companies. 

The  profits  and  resources  of  the  tobacco  manufactur- 
er's combination  are  such  as  to  justify  advertising  al- 


190  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

most  unparalled  in  any  other  line  of  business.  Bill- 
boards from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other  are 
placarded  with  advertisements  eulogizing  the  virtues 
of  various  brands.  There  is  scarcely  a  street  car  in  any 
city  of  the  nation  which  does  not  display  one  or  more 
cards  advertising  tobacco,  and  even  some  magazines 
fill  their  pages  with  showy  announcements. 

Apparently  one  of  the  most  profitabe  sources  of  re- 
turns are  the  advertisements  reproducing  the  state- 
ments and  pictures  of  authors,  singers,  and  even  ath- 
letes, who  bear  testimony  of  the  flavor  and  superiority 
of  certain  brands.  It  is  a  noteworthy  fact,  however, 
that  no  advertisement  has  yet  been  reported  in  which 
any  individual  ever  extolled  a  tobacco  because  of  any 
service  it  renders.  In  misleading  advertisements  this 
or  that  particular  brand  is  commonly  recommended 
because  of  the  absence  of  "bite,"  the  peculiar  flavor,  the 
pleasant  feelings  of  rest  following  its  use,  etc.,  but  no 
one  seems  to  be  able  to  mention  any  of  its  virtues  or 
dares  to  mention  any  of  its  real  effects. 

The  wonder  really  is  not  that  so  many  boys  learn  to 
smoke,  but  that  so  few  of  them  escape.  A  normal 
boy,  with  normal  impulses,  encouraged  by  habits  of 
his  father  and  goaded  on  by  the  enticing  advertise- 
ments of  tobacco  companies,  can  scarcely  be  expected  to 
do  otherwise. 


XVI 

INFLUENCE  OF  SMOKING  CLERGYMEN 

Christian  life  should  be  characterized  by  progress- 
ive mastery  of  sin.  A  religion  that  does  not  imbue  its 
adherents  with  a  constant  desire  to  overcome,  is 
scarcely  worth  while.  Mastery  of  self  and  the  laws 
of  nature,  coupled  with  desire  for  the  welfare  of  others, 
constitutes  the  goal  toward  which  all  Christian  teach- 
ings should  lead. 

A  religion  that  leads  men  to  believe  that  appetites 
and  practices  acquired  through  wasteful  indulgence, 
will  at  some  future  time  automatically  be  removed, 
without  any  effort  on  the  part  of  those  enslaved,  is 
going  far  beyond  our  experiences  with  natural  law. 
Furthermore,  it  would  invade  the  realms  of  justice  to 
ask  Deity  to  eradicate  the  effects  of  sin,  brought  on 
through  self-gratification,  without  requiring  the  indi- 
vidual to  assist  in  the  process  of  restitution.  Initial 
achievement,  or  achievement  following  sin,  seems  to  be 
obtainable  only  through  effort,  while  just  as  invariably 
retrogression  follows  inactivity. 

True  religion,  therefore,  should  place  the  responsi- 
bility of  overcoming  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  individ- 
ual, aided  of  course  by  Divine  power.  It  should  en- 
courage men  to  live  lives  of  increasingly  better  deeds. 
It  should  emphasize  the  necessity  of  attention  to  minut- 
est details.     It  should  discourage  the  altogether  too 


192  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

popular  attitude  of  hoping  to  swing  into  divine  favor 
through  the  accomplishment  of  a  single  act  of  heroism. 
It  should  sear  into  the  souls  of  men  the  great  turth  that 
"little  foxes  spoil  the  vines". 

A  religion,  like  a  philosophy  or  a  labor  union,  lead- 
ing men  to  expect  something  for  nothing  is  working 
along  wrong  lines.  The  laws  of  nature  plainly  teach 
that  knowledge  is  not  acquired  except  by  proper  mental 
attitude  and  then  only  by  individual  effort.  While 
it  is  true  that  we  may  be  assisted  by  others,  yet  intel- 
ligence can  spring  only  from  desire. 

Vigilant,  watchful  progression,  looking  towards 
constant  and  eternal  betterment,  should  be  the  founda- 
tion of  Christian  teachings.  Mankind  is  made  for 
mastery  and  not  for  servantry.  Experience  is  daily 
demonstrating  that  the  accumulating  intelligence  of 
ages  is  gradually  equipping  men  with  power  to  control 
the  laws  of  the  universe.  Live  philosophies  are  begin- 
ning to  believe  with  the  "Mormon"  prophet  that  the 
glory  of  God  is  intelligence  and  that  men  are  saved  no 
faster  than  they  gain  knowledge. 

The  Christian  teacher  should  not  only  be  prepared 
in  an  intellectual  way  to  lead  others  into  the  path  of 
progression,  but  he  should  also  be  able  to  say,  "Do 
as  I  do."  His  duty  then  is  plainly  two- fold :  to  teach 
others  to  overcome,  and  to  lead  others  to  overcome. 
If  he  insists  upon  teaching  only  by  word,  he  can  hope 
for  but  little  success.  Men  may  follow  him  because  of 
his  flattery  and  fluency,  but  he  cannot  convert  them 
to  the  genius  of  Christianity.  The  ideal  of  Christian 
teachers  is  he  who  said,   "I  am  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it." 


INFLUENCE  OF  SMOKING  CLERGYMEN         193 

Not  until  man  is  able  to  control  himself,  even  under 
trying"  tests,  is  he  yet  a  real  man.  Man,  with  an  un- 
controllable habit  hanging  over  him,  is  no  nearer  being 
a  free  man  than  is  the  one  who  cannot  meet  his  tem- 
poral obligations ;  both  are  servants  of  a  master.  The 
real  joy  that  comes  through  overcoming,  lifts  .one  from 
the  plane  of  bondage  to  that  of  freedom. 

No  Christian  teacher  can  successfully  urge  others 
to  overcome  when  he  himself  is  bound.  A  converting, 
energizing  talk  never  comes,  except  in  rare  cases,  from 
the  lips  of  one  who  himself  is  enslaved.  Deity  seems  to 
have  designed  that  the  soul-inspiring  talk  of  conversion 
shall  not  come  from  the  mouth  of  the  insincere.  Teach- 
ers, therefore,  should  be  leaders  in  both  thought  and 
deed. 

Preachers  whose  lives  are  not  exemplary,  exert  a  de- 
plorably unwholesome  influence  upon  the  public.  In 
the  first  place  they  not  only  fail  to  stimulate,  but  they 
actually  discourage.  Among  the  less  courageous  ones 
of  the  community,  their  examples  are  unfortunately, 
and  unjustifiably,  often  taken  as  an  excuse  for  similar 
or  even  more  serious  weaknesses.  No  man  of  course  is 
justified  in  doing  wrong  no  matter  whose  example  he 
is  following.  But  it-is  none-the-less  true  that  many  go 
wrong  because  of  the  ill-advised  acts  of  leaders. 

These  familiar  truths  are  not  directed  at  the  Christ- 
ian leader  who  is  grossly  and  violently  disregarding 
the  ethical  or  moral  codes,  but  at  the  one  whose  every- 
day practices  do  not  conform  to  higher  Christian  stand- 
ards.   The  average  preacher  does  not  seem  to  be  aware 


194  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

of  the  fact  that  communicants  observe  his  habits  in 
quite  as  much  detail  as  does  the  child  those  of  the  grade 
teacher. 

In  the  matter  of  the  tobacco  habit,  no  Christian 
leader  has  the  right  to  indulge.  His  position  makes 
him  peculiarly  subject  to  criticism  and  imitation.  The 
entire  community,  both  followers  and  opponents,  ex- 
pect him  to  lead  an  exemplary  life.  Boys  are  taught  to 
pay  him  deference,  and  very  early  are  influenced  by 
his  example.  Those  who  do  not  support  him  magnify 
his  faults  because  of  his  pretentious  position,  and  those 
who  do  support  him  look  upon  him  as  living  the  higher 
life.  His  weaknesses,  therefore,  have  a  peculiar  in- 
fluence upon  the  whole  community.  With  one  class  he 
becomes  the  subject  of  criticism  and  with  the  other  one 
of  emulation.  Individuals  occupying  prominent  po- 
sitions exert  a  marked  influence  either  for  good  or  for 
bad,  and  often  for  both. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  forecast  the  success  of  the  smok- 
ing preacher  in  his  efforts  to  teach  others  the  lesson  of 
overcoming.  A  popular  preacher  in  a  western  city  re- 
sently  opened  quarters  where  individuals  enslaved  by 
the  grosser  habits  might  receive  encouragement  and  be 
placed  in  proper  mental  attitude  to  overcome.  The 
preacher's  practice  of  appearing  before  these  slightly 
more  unfortunate  victims,  commonly  with  cigar  in 
mouth  and  always  with  tobacco-befouled  person,  thus 
betraying  his  own  slavery,  was  little  short  of  a  bur- 
lesque on  reason  and  manhood. 

There  can  be  no  question  that  a  smoking  preacher 
has  a  very  detrimental  effect  upon  all  classes  of  boys. 


INFLUENCE  OF  SMOKING  CLERGYMEN         195 

One  group  follows  his  example  and  argues  that  cer- 
tainly there  can  be  no  harm  in  doing  what  the  anointed 
of  Deity  is  doing.  The  other  group,  probably  because 
of  strong  parental  influence,  refrains  from  the  use  of 
tobacco,  and  at  the  same  time  loses  confidence  in  the 
man  who  should  lead. 

The  height  of  impropriety  was  recently  witnessed 
in  a  neighbor's  house  when  a  clergyman  thought  to  en- 
courage the  friendship  of  a  lad  of  five  by  permitting 
him  to  hold  a  burning  match  by  means  of  which  he 
lighted  his  cigar.  Such  an  act  is  certainly  without  the 
merest  vestige  of  justification,  and  is  in  every  way  sub- 
ject to  severest  condemnation.  And  yet  the  attitude  of 
this  clergyman  is  probably  only  one  step  worse  than 
that  of  other  such  men  who  light  their  own  cigars  and 
indulge  in  the  presence  of  women  and  children. 

No  minister  should  argue  himself  into  believing  that 
boys  can  be  deceived  by  the  popular  defense  that  to- 
bacco is  harmless  to  men  and  ruinous  for  boys.  Even 
if  this  condition  were  true,  the  boy  would  not  believe 
it,  because  of  his  inability  to  understand  such  a  dis- 
crimination. That  children  are  altogether  wiser  and 
more  observant  than  regarded  by  grownups  can  easily 
be  demonstrated  by  anyone  who  will  recall  his  child- 
hood experiences.  The  deterring  influence  of  the 
smoking  preacher,  therefore,  is  at  least  two-fold :  first 
in  inducing  others  to  smoke,  and,  second,  in  destroying 
the  confidence  of  still  others.  The  latter  condition  is 
probably  even  more  serious  than  the  first. 

Just  how  a  smoking  preacher  could  induce  himself 
to  enter  an  anti-cigarette  campaign  among  boys  is  dif- 


196  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

ficulf  to  understand,  yet  of  all  men,  except  perhaps  the 
parents,  the  preacher  should  be  the  best  prepared  to  lead 
any  such  movement.  Boys  would  not  believe  him,  and. 
furthermore,  his  knowledge  of  his  own  guilt  and  hy- 
pocricy  would  preclude  whole-hearted  work.  He  is 
not  only  useless  in  such  a  campaign,  but  he  constitutes 
an  actual  menace  to  the  success  of-  others. 

An  expounder  of  the  word  of  God  should  be  an  ex- 
ample of  self-control.  The  weight  of  his  encouraging 
words  to  sin-stained  souls  is  without  doubt  very  mate- 
rially decreased  by  the  public  knowledge  that  he  himself 
is  servant  to  an  uncontrollable  habit.  The  uppermost 
thought  in  the  mind  of  the  listener  questions  the  sin- 
cerity of  the  preacher  and  asks  why  he  himself  has  not 
first  overcome.  When  a  preacher  tells  of  the  saving 
grace  of  the  Divine  Spirit  it  is  well  to  exhibit  in  his 
own  life  the  fruits  of  that  grace. 

From  quite  another  point  of  view  preachers  should 
be  men  of  cleanly  habits.  Aside  from  the  practice  of 
confession,  employed  in  some  churches,  ministers  quite 
generally  act  as  the  confidants  of  their  parishioners. 
Such  men  are  by  no  means  so  uncommonly  befouled 
with  the  odors  of  tobacco  that  delicate  women  sicken 
in  their  immediate  presence.  It  is  a  travesty  on  Chris- 
tianity and  an  impositon  on  manhood  to  expect  com- 
municants to  seek  advice  from  a  filthy  source.  They 
would  as  soon  believe  that  pure  water  can  flow  through 
stagnant  pools  as  that  the  Spirit  of  God  comes  to  them 
through  such  individuals.  The  statement  is  indeed  a 
strong  one,  but  no  stronger  than  the  actual  repugnance 
which  many  non-smokers,  both  men  and  women,  feel 


INFLUENCE  OF  SMOKING  CLERGYMEN         197 

in  the  presence  of  tobacco-befouled  persons  claiming 
to  be  the  emissaries  of  Deity. 

Then  again,  just  how  an  unrepentant  individual,, 
either  preacher  or  layman,  can  approach  Deity  for 
further  light  needs  explanation.  Among  the  first  things 
demanded  by  the  spirit  of  inspiration  is  bodily  cleanli- 
ness, especially  of  those  who  ought  to  know.  If  we 
should  doubt  the  demands  of  Deity  in  this  regard,  let 
us  ask  ourselves  what  we  expect  of  Him.  Do  we  not 
think  of  Him  as  being  the  very  fountain  of  cleanliness? 
Then  why  should  He  not  demand  the  same  of  us  ?  The 
tobacco-befouled  minister  has  yet  to  learn  the  meaning 
of  repentance. 

To  the  preacher,  as  to  all  else,  the  use  of  tobacco 
should  be  looked  upon  as  an  utterly  useless  habit,  and, 
if  for  no  other  reason,  should  be  abandoned.  There 
are  so  many  useful  things  to  do  that  certainly  men  of 
God  have  no  time  for  useless  ones.  No  one  will  claim 
that  tobacco  serves  a  beneficial  purpose  in  the  life  of 
any  preacher.     Then  again  the  habit  is  expensive. 

One  of  the  commonest  appeals  of  the  average  Chris- 
tian teacher  is  for  money  with  which  to  convert  the 
heathen.  The  widow  and  wash-woman  are  encouraged 
to  contribute  their  dimes  with  the  belief  that  even  this 
small  amount  in  the  hands  of  God  may  convert  a  soul. 
Children  are  persuaded  to  deposit  their  pennies  and  are 
told  that  in  heaven  they  will  be  greeted  with  open  arms 
as  the  saviors  of  human  kind.  The  act  of  contributing 
mission  money  is  pictured  as  one  of  the  greatest  sources 
of  future  human  reward. 

And  all  this  may  be  true,  but  what  of  the  average 


198  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

smoking-preacher  who  emerges  from  the  church  door 
and  lights  a  cigar  purchased  by  the  widow  and  wash- 
woman's contribution?  He  may  try  to  hide  behind  the 
formality  that  his  parent  church  allows  him  a  certain 
percentage  of  the  funds  thus  collected,  or  that  he  re- 
ceives his  entire  salary  from  another  source.  The  fact 
remains,  however,  that  Christian  ministers  are  main- 
tained almost  exclusively  by  contributions,  among 
which  are  liberally  scattered  the  widow's  mite.  We 
are  constrained  to  believe  that  if  the  smoking-preacher 
were  sincere  in  his  usual  statement  that  God  requires 
our  contributions  for  the  conversion  of  unbelievers,  he 
himself  would  abandon  the  tobacco  habit,  and  invest  its 
cost  in  human  souls.  His  unwillingness  to  do  so, 
forces  upon  one  the  conviction  that  he  is  either  insincere 
or  inordinately  selfish. 

Readers  of  course  will  apply  this  criticism  only  where 
it  belongs.  There  are  a  great  many  splendid  clergy- 
men whose  lives  proclaim  that  they  are  sparing  no 
effort  to  become  true  leaders  of  men.  These  men  are 
clean,  wholesome  and  upright,  in  whose  presence  others 
cannot  go  without  being  made  better.  Their  worth  to 
a  community  and  to  the  world  cannot  be  overestimated. 
They  are  the  "salt  of  the  earth",  and  their  influence 
will  go  far  towards  leavening  the  whole  lump. 

But  of  the  clergyman  whose  pretentions  are  equally 
as  great,  but  whose  life  belies  him,  no  one  can  speak  in 
terms  too  severe.  He  poses  as  a  light  upon  a  hill, 
while  in  reality  his  life  points  to  personal  gratification. 
He  proclaims  the  saving  grace  of  Deity,  yet  he  himself 
is  not   willing  to  overcome  personal   habits.     He  de- 


INFLUENCE  OF  SMOKING  CLERGYMEN         199 

nounces  slavery  to  sin,  and  at  the  same  time  indulges  in 
habits  which  lead  others  directly  into  it.  He  declares 
that  the  widow's  mite  should  be  contributed  for  the 
forwarding  of  the  work  of  God  and  then  spends  it  for 
cigars.  Such  as  he  would  do  well  to  turn  the  search- 
light of  true  repentance  inward  and  not  withdraw  it 
until  the  lesson  is  learned  that  there  is  no  place  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God  for  the  insincere,  or  for  those  who 
by  their  acts  knowingly  lead  others  astray. 

There  certainly  can  be  no  excuse  for  Christian 
teachers  not  being  familiar  with  the  indictments  which 
modern  science  has  issued  against  the  tobacco  habit. 
But  aside  from  the  fact  that  the  use  of  tobacco  is  an 
extravagant  waste  of  money,  that  it  lowers  efficiency 
both  mental  and  moral,  that  it  is  the  most  filthy  habit 
indulged  in  by  man,  that  it  reduces  morality  and  leads 
to  more  serious  practices,  that  it  encourages  disease 
and  untimely  death,  Christian  leaders  should  avoid  the 
habit  if  for  no  other  reason  than  primarily  because  they 
propose  being  free  men.  Christian  piety  does  not  re- 
quire long-faced  sanctimony,  but  it  does  ask  for  leader- 
ship in  all  matters  of  personal  and  spiritual  betterment. 


XVII 

CIGARETTES,  AMBITION  AND  RELIABILITY 

Two  factors  most  fundamental  in  the  development  of 
true  manhood  are  desire  and  dependability — ambition 
and  reliability.  The  use  of  tobacco  by  boys  and  young 
men  not  uncommonly  strikes  a  fatal  blow  at  both  of 
these  basic  qualities.  A  short  time  ago  the  present 
writer  directed  more  than  one  thousand  inquiries  to 
bankers,  merchants,  manufacturers,  educators,  judges, 
etc.,  asking"  their  opinions  relative  to  the  influence  of 
tobacco  upon  growing  boys.  The  replies  constitute 
one  mighty  protest  against  this  pernicious  narcotic. 
Not  a  single  individual  voices  a  word  in  its  favor.  The 
composite  verdict  is  to  the  effect  that  tobacco  commonly 
substitutes  laziness  for  ambition,  independability  for  re- 
liability and  failure  for  success. 

Tobacco  is  a  narcotic  and  not  a  stimulant.  It  dimin- 
ishes desire  for  activity  and  never  increases  it.  It  pro- 
duces a  feeling  of  both  mental  and  physical  restfulness 
and  well-being.  It  causes  a  smoker  to  care  but  little 
for  what  is  going  on  about  him  by  abolishing  ambition, 
anxiety  and  aspiration.  It  interferes  with  the  natural 
activity  of  the  heart,  lungs,  liver,  and,  in  fact,  every 
vital  organ  of  the  body.  Its  general  effect  is  manifest 
in  the  case  of  smokers  who  ambitiously  assign  them- 
selves to  certain  pieces  of  work,  but  who  lose  practic- 
ally all  desire  immediately  upon  beginning  to  smoke. 

That  the  use  of  tobacco  by  boys  disposes  to  laziness 


CIGARETTES,  AMBITION  AND  RELIABILITY     201 

there  can  be  no  question.  The  habit  almost  invariably 
is  acquired  in  private  and  cultivated  during  periods  of 
indolence.  No  boy  ever  learned  to  use  tobacco  while 
performing  the  duties  of  honest  toil.  The  habit  is 
born,  developed  and  matured  in  idleness.  It  is  both  the 
child  and  the  parent  of  indolence.  Instances  are  very 
rare  of  cigarette-smoking  boys  aspiring  to  athletic  ac- 
tivities or  appearing  at  public  libraries.  One  promi- 
nent writer  has  said  that  there  is  no  better  safeguard 
for  a  boy  against  the  habit  than  membership  in  a  gym- 
nasium or  athletic  association.  Cigarettes  and  desire 
for  physical  activity  are  as  far  removed  from  one 
another  as  light  and  darkness  or  right  and  wrong.  No 
poison  can  encouage  life,  nor  a  narcotic  ambition. 

One  of  the  most  pitiable  features  of  this  condition  is 
that  the  inveterate  cigarettist  in  most  cases  has  but 
little  desire  or  will  power  to  regain  his  lost  ambition. 
He  will  laugh  at  the  advice  of  his  best  friends  and 
ridicule  the  tears  of  his  mother.  He  seems  to  be  prac- 
tically immune  to  stimulation.  He  makes  promises 
freely,  but  never  more  than  passingly  intends  to  fulfill 
them.  To  himself  he  is  the  real  acme  of  information, 
and,  therefore,  is  not  easily  impressed  with  desire  for 
improvement. 

The  cigarettist  lives  primarily  for  self.  Cases  are 
far  from  uncommon  in  which  he  has  been  known  to 
steal  from  his  widowed  mother  for  the  purpose  of  self- 
gratification.  He  indulges  his  depravity  in  the  pres- 
ence of  his  mother  or  sisters  even  though  he  knows  that 
he  is  displeasing  them.  There  is  no  better  example  of 
self-cultivated  selfishness  than  the  cigarettist. 


202  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

Tobacco  not  only  breaks  down  a  boy's  bodily  vigor, 
but  it  destroys  his  sense  of  moral  obligation  to  others. 
Employers  all  over  the  country  are  beginning-  to  realize 
that  even  the  prompt  delivery  of  messages  cannot  be 
intrusted  to  a  cigarette-smoking  boy ;  he  may  leave  the 
office  with  every  intention  of  performing  tile  work  we'd, 
but  the  rolling  of  a  cigarette  on  the  way  marks  the 
burying  place  of  that  intention.  While  tobacco  is  in- 
jurious to  boys  in  a  score  of  ways,  its  destructive  effect 
upon  their  ambition  is  indeed  a  most  serious  one.  Boys 
naturally  are  active,  alert  and  ambitious;  repose,  quiet 
and  satisfaction  are  foreign  to  their  make-up,  yet  this 
is  precisely  the  condition  induced  by  cigarette  smoking. 
A  drug  which  thus  strikes  at  the  very  heart  of  a  boy's 
future  career  is  worse  than  murderous  in  its  nature,  for 
without  ambition  the  boy  were  better  not. 

Following  are  a  few  opinions  selected  at  random 
from  several  hundred  now  in  the  writer's  files : 

Superintendent  Adams,  of  the  Boy's  Industrial 
School,  Lancaster,  Ohio,  here  points  out  the  effect 
which  cigarettes  have  upon  body  and  mind : 

"In  this  institution  we  have  over  a  thousand  boys, 
most  of  whom  were  cigarette  smokers  at  the  time  they 
were  committed  here.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  they 
were  committed  f6?  smoking  cigarettes,  but  most  of 
them  had  the  habit.  I  believe  that  cigarettes  are  in- 
jurious in  every  way:  they  dwarf  the  body,  dull  the 
intellect  and  numb  the  sense  of  good  morals.  Boys 
having  this  habit  do  not  seem  to  appreciate  the  differ- 
ence between  right  and  wrong.  After  these  boys  are 
committed  here,  and  consequently  have  no  further  op- 


CIGARETTES,  AMBITION  AND  RELIABILITY    203 

portunity  to  smoke,  they  seem  to  take  on  a  better  moral 
tone.  Cigarette  smoking  is  indirectly  responsible  for 
a  great  deal  of  crime  and  the  cause  of  a  large  number 
of  boys  being  sent  to  this  school." 

In  the  following  statement  Judge  George  W.  Stubbs 
of  the  Juvenile  Court  of  Indianapolis,  points  out  that 
cigarettes  undermine  the  boy's  moral  sense  of  right  and 
wrong  and  therefore  predispose  to  crime : 

"In  the  Juvenile  Court  I  have  found  that  manliness 
and  good  conduct  can  be  aroused  and  stimulated  in 
boys,  no  matter  what  the  offense  of  which  they  have 
been  guilty,  if  only  they  are  not  cigarette  fiends.  When 
a  boy  has  become  addicted  to  the  use  of  cigarettes  the 
disease  is  in  his  blood  and  brain ;  his  moral  fiber  is 
gone ;  he  becomes  apathetic,  listless  and  indifferent ;  his 
vitality  has  been  sapped  away  and  all  the  vigor  that 
should  characterize  the  normal  boy  is  gone.  We  have 
found  that  we  have  but  small  chance  to  reform  and  help 
the  cigarette  fiend  unless  the  habit  can  be  broken.  It  is 
a  fight  with  the  boy's  appetite  which,  like  the  burning 
thirst  of  the  inebriate,  rarely  listens  to  moral  suasion, 
and  when  a  boy  is  in  this  condition  he  easily  drifts  into 
crime." 

Dr.  E.  G.  Gowans,  now  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  in  Utah,  after  several  years'  experi- 
ence in  connection  with  juvenile  courts  and  indus- 
trial schools,  recently  said : 

"Most  of  the  boys  who  have  come  under  my  personal 
observation  as  cigarette  smokers  have  manifested  lack 
of  moral  fiber  in  a  marked  degree.  It  seems  as  though 
the  cigarette  and  the  weak  will  nearly  always  go  to- 


204  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

gether.  Many  of  these  boys  can  be  convinced  that  the 
habit  is  injurious,  and  can  be  made  to  feel  that  they 
would  like  to  overcome  it,  but  they  lack  the  will  power 
and  go  down  under  the  first  temptation.  Prevention 
is  the  thing  that  should  be  emphasized,  and  all  teachers 
and  parents  should  recognize  the  importance  of  it  con- 
trasted with  curative  work.  As  to  the  effect  of  the  cig- 
arette habit  upon  general  delinquency,  let  me  say  that  I 
feel  sure  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  potent  causes  in  its 
production.  Weak  willed  boys  without  moral  fiber 
easily  learn  the  habit,  and  degenerate  under  its  influ- 
ence. Strong  willed  boys  who  begin  more  as  an  evi- 
dence of  revolt  against  their  parents  than  for  any  other 
reason,  undergo  the  same  sort  of  degeneration,  and 
soon  show  the  lack  of  moral  tone,  which  is  responsible 
for  such  delinquency,  so  that  on  the  whole  I  would  say 
that  the  effect  of  the  cigarette  habit  among  boys  is  to 
very  materially  increase  the  total  amount  of  Juvenile 
delinquency." 

The  famous  negro  educator,  Booker  T.  Washington, 
wrote  the  following  strong  indictment  against  tobacco 
only  a  few  weeks  before  his  death  : 

"At  Tuskegee  Institute  we  have  had  some  interest- 
ing experiences  with  boys  who  smoke  cigarettes.  Every 
year,  in  the  thousand  or  more  young  men  assembled 
here,  there  are,  of  course,  several  who  are  addicted  to 
this  habit.  Our  experience  is  that  it  is  generally  the 
students  who  have  the  cigarette  habit  who  give  the 
most  trouble  with  reference  to  discipline.  Their  will 
power  is  broken  down,  their  moral  sense  is  blunted,  and 
it  is  very  difficult  to  make  anything  out  of  them.     They 


CIGARETTES,  AMBITION  AND  RELIABILITY    205 

will  go  to  any  length,  take  any  sort  of  risk  to  get  an 
opportunity  to  smoice  a  cigarette.  In  connection  with 
our  hospital,  the  boys  addicted  to  the  cigarette  habit 
are  given  regular  treatment  for  its  cure.  Such  boys  do 
not  generaly  do  well  in  their  classes." 

There  can  be  no  mistaking  the  attitude  of  Superin- 
tendent Bruce  M.  Watson  of  the  Spokane  Public 
Schools : 

"Any  question  regarding  the  effect  of*cigarette  smok- 
ing upon  school  children  is  almost  like  inquiring  as  to 
the  desirability  of  an  epidemic  of  scarlet  fever  in  the 
schools.  The  bad  effects  of  cigarette  smoking,  or,  in 
fact,  any  kind  of  smoking,  on  a  school  boy  are  so  well 
recognized  and  so  obvious  that  it  seems  superfluous  to 
mention  them.  The  practice  is  bad  from  every  point  of 
view  and  one  of  the  worst  enemies  of  the  mental  and 
physical  development  and  future  success  of  our  school 
boys." 

Superintendent  Amos  Hiatt  of  the  Des  Moines  Pub- 
lic School  is  convinced  that  cigarette  smoking  boys  have 
but  little  power  to  do  right  or  strength  to  overcome: 

'The  cigarette  hinders  the  physical  development  of 
the  boy  so  that  he  is  dwarfed  in  body  and  strength  and 
cannot  hope  to  excel.  The  cigarette  dwarfs  the  intel- 
lect so  that  the  boy  who  becomes  addicted  to  the  use  of 
cigarettes  has  but  little  chance  for  success.  It  is  the 
unanimous  report  of  the  teachers  of  East  Des  Moines 
that  the  boy  who  uses  cigarettes  soon  fails  in  his  work 
and  drops  out  of  his  class.  The  boys  who  are  habitual 
cigarette  smokers  cannot  do  good  work  and  but  few 
go    through    school.       The  cigarette  undermines  the 


206  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

moral  forces.  The  boy  who  has  formed  the  cigarette 
habit  has  but  little  power  to  do  right.  He  cannot  tell 
the  truth  or  stand  against  evil  forces.  The  cigarette 
weakens  the  will  power  so  that  the  boy  has  but  little 
strength  to  overcome  these  bad  habits." 

At  first  thought  there  may  appear  to  be  no  connec- 
tion between  cigarette  smoking  and  unreliability,  but  as 
a  matter  of  fact  the  two  are  very  closely  related.  It 
does  not  follow,  of  course,  that  all  untruthful  persons 
use  tobacco,  but  it  is  true  that  the  great  majority  of 
cigarette-smoking  boys  have  but  little  regard  for 
truth.  The  narcotic  effect  of  tobacco  deprives  a  boy 
of  his  normal  desire  for  activity  and  reduces  his  moral 
sense  of  obligation  to  others.  When  in  the  service  of 
others  he  can  waste  time,  fail  to  accomplish  set  tasks,  or 
to  keep  his  promises,  and  then  excuse  himself  with  per- 
fect propriety,  and  that  too  without  the  least  censure 
of  conscience. 

And  so  a  boy,  whose  moral  sense  of  obligation  to 
others  is  thus  blunted,  readily  becomes  untruthful.  As 
a  matter  of  fact  he  quickly  resorts  to  it  as  a  means  of 
apparently  covering  up  his  delinquencies.  The  average 
boy  who  secretly  smokes  will  look  his  father  squarely  in 
the  eye  and  deny  it.  The  boy  who  fails  to  deliver  a  mes- 
sage, because  of  stopping  to  smoke,  is  most  resource- 
ful in  the  invention  of  excuses,  and  in  so  doing  the  boy 
is  but  following  the  path  of  least  resistance.  He  has 
no  desire  or  intention  to  give  up  his  cigarettes;  per- 
haps he  cannot.  He  possesses  no  bravery  in  the  matter 
of  self-confession,  and  usually  no  desire  to  possess  it. 
He  feels  little  or  no  compunction  at  lying;  hence  he 


CIGARETTES,  AMBITION  AND  RELIABILITY     207 

lies.  Early  in  his  smoking  career,  this  boy  ordinarily 
expects  to  make  good  his  promises,  and  upon  failing, 
he  lies  to  excuse  himself,  but  later  in  his  career  he  lies 
with  no  intention  whatever  of  keeping  his  word.  There 
is  only  one  person  in  the  world  who  excels  the  invet- 
erate cigarette-smoking  youth  in  the  matter  of  astute- 
ness in  lying  and  deceiving  and  that  is  the  morphine 
fiend. 

Laziness,  untruthfulness  and  dishonesty  constitute 
the  logical  and  regular  series  following  the  inveterate 
use  of  cigarettes  by  boys.  Laziness  is  a  natural  result 
of  the  depressing  effect  of  tobacco  upon  both  body  and 
mind.  Lying  follows  as  a  means  of  excusing  laziness, 
and  dishonesty  is  a  natural  outgrowth  of  both.  The 
step  from  untruh fulness  to  dishonesty  is  an  exceed- 
ingly short  one.  The  statement  that  a  boy  who  malic- 
•  iously  lies  will  steal  is  particularly  true  wdien  applied  to 
cigarette  smokers.  This  moral  obliquity  is  primarily 
due  to  the  blunting  effect  of  tobacco  upon  the  finer 
senses  of  right  and  wrong.  Cigarette  smokers  almost 
invariably  become  immune  to  the  rights  of  others,  and 
insist  upon  satisfying  themselves  even  at  the  expense  or 
discomfort  of  their  dearest  friends,  and  especially  of 
their  own  kindred. 

The  use  of  cigarettes  generates  a  constantly  increas- 
ing demand  for  more,  and  without  them  the  smoker  is 
miserable  and  disagreeable.  In  advanced  stages  he 
will  go  almost  to  any  extreme  to  obtain  them — except 
to  hard  work.  He  is  always  shifting  jobs.  He  wants 
something  for  nothing.  He  feels  that  the  world  is 
against  him,  and  that  it  owes  him  a  living.     But  no 


208  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

matter  what  happens,  work  or  no  work,  friends  or  no 
friends,  money  or  no  money,  he  must  have  his  tobacco. 
In  such  frame  of  mind  he  will  deceive  even  a  friend  who 
has  sheltered  him  or  given  him  food.  He  will  borrow 
his  widowed  mother's  savings  on  a  promise  to  return, 
when  he  knows  that  such  is  impossible.  He  thinks  only 
of  self  and  self-gratification.  Such  an  individual  is  a 
disgrace  to  a  neighborhood,  although  not  a  real  dan- 
ger, as  his  dishonesty  is  known  to  all.  and  in  conse- 
quence, his  deceptions  are  few. 

In  this  connection  the  findings  of  two  of  Salt  Lake's 
prominent  citizens  will  be  of  interest.  Dr.  Samuel  H. 
Allen,  a  prominent  surgeon  and  consultant  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  gives  his  estimate  of  the  reliability  of  cigarette 
smoking  boys  in  the  following  language : 

"The  tobacco  user  puts  a  brand  on  himself — he  is 
like  a  branded  calf.  The  brand  reads  like  this  :  T  use 
tobacco.  Tobacco  makes  my  nervous  system  weak.  It 
brings  on  me  a  form  of  heart  disease  called  "smokers' 
heart".  It  weakens  my  will  power.  I  am  not  as  good 
a  student,  nor  as  good  as  worker  as  the  boy  who  does 
not  use  it.  If  you  hire  me  to  work  for  you  I  will  not 
do  as  much  nor  as  good  work  as  the  boy  who  does  not 
smoke.  During  work  hours  I  will  stop  to  roll  and 
smoke  my  cigarettes  and  I  will  then  ask  you  to  pay  me 
for  the  time  I  spend  doing  this — that  is,  I  will  steal  a 
little  time  from  my  employer  every  day.  If  you  send 
me  on  an  errand,  T  will  stop  on  the  way  to  smoke,  and 
if  I  do  not  forget  what  I  was  sent  for,  T  may  get  there 
too  late  to  do  your  errand  in  time  to  be  of  any  service. 
My  breath  and  smoke  will  offend  your  customers.      It 


CIGARETTES,  AMBITION  AND  RELIABILITY     209 

will  pay  you  better  to  hire  a  cleaner  boy  than  I  am,  a 
better  student,  a  better  worker,  a  more  dependable  boy, 
one  who  does  not  smoke.'  ' 

Chief  Probation  Officer  Gaurdella  Brown  of  Salt 
Lake  City,  who  has  had  a  very  successful  career  in  help- 
ing wayward  boys,  says : 

"May  I  say  that  after  eight  years  of  experience  as 
Probation  Officer  and  having  talked  with  more  than 
twelve  thousand  boys  and  girls  who  were  guilty  of  a 
variety  of  delinquencies,  I  am  forced  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  boy  who  is  an  habitual  cigarette  smoker  is  the 
most  hopeless  victim  we  have  to  contend  with.  When 
a  group  of  boys  is  brought  before  me  charged  with 
offenses  and  I  am  not  quite  certain  as  to  the  guilt  or 
innocence  of  either  of  them,  I  invariably  separate  the 
smokers  from  the  non-smokers  and  proceed  to  inter- 
rogate the  former  group  for  my  first  information.  I 
do  this  because  I  know  that  this  class  of  offenders  have 
neither  the  will  power  nor  mental  ability  to  hold  fast 
to  any  previously  arranged  story  or  plan  that  may  have 
been  concocted  by  them.  While  the  information  I  get 
from  such  a  source  is  seldom  correct,  it  gives  me  a  clue 
whereby  I  can  approach  the  non-smokers  with  an  assur- 
ance that  is  unnecessary  to  possess  when  I  am  talking 
to  the  cigarette  smoker.  Mentally  the  habitual  cigar- 
ette smoker,  if  you  will  pardon  the  expression,  is  an 
'easy  mork'.  Morally  the  habitual  cigarette  smoker  is 
not  only  a  victim  of  this  filthy  habit  but  is  usually  open 
to  all  manner  of  degeneracy.  It  is  seldom,  if  ever,  we 
come  in  contact  with  an  habitual  cigarette  smoker  who 
is  morally  clean  and  never  yet  have  I  found  one  whose 


210  TOBACCO  AXD   HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

word  could  be  relied  upon.  They  have  not  the  will 
power  nor  the  stamina  to  look  you  squarely  in  the  face 
and  tell  the  truth.  The  young  boy  who  becomes  an 
habitual  user  of  cigarettes  before  obtaining  his  majority 
is  in  my  opinion  a  hopeless  wreck.  My  experience 
teaches  me  that  habitual  cigarette  smokers  are  unrelia- 
ble quantities,  mentally,  morally  and  physically." 

More  and  more,  the  country  and  the  church  are  call- 
ing for  strong,  conservative,  manly  men,  men  of  self- 
control  and  strength,  men  of  honor  and  integrity,  men 
of  sacrifice  and  unselfishness.  No  boy  who  persists  in 
smoking  cigarettes  need  hope  to  be  of  great  service  to 
his  country  and  his  church,  because  he  lacks  the  funda- 
mental essentials  of  service — ambition  and  self-control. 
No  one  expects  statesmen  or  Christian  leaders  to 
develop  from  among  the  smokers  described  in  the  para- 
graphs preceding. 


XVIII 

TOBACCO  AND  SCHOLARSHIP  IN  THE  GRADES 

Cigarette  smoking  by  grade  students  is  far  more 
universal  than  is  commonly  suspected  by  most  parents 
or  even  teachers.  Wherever  investigations  have  been 
made,  the  number  found  to  be  using  tobacco  is  usually 
far  in  excess  of  that  expected.  Parents  altogether  too 
uncommonly  fail  to  know  what  their  own  children  are 
doing  in  this  respect,  or  they  regard  the  matter  as  of 
little  or  no  consequence.  In  many  communities  where 
teachers  and  parents  have  believed  the  habit  to  be 
almost  if  not  wholly  absent,  investigations  have  shown 
that  fully  fifty  per  cent  of  upper  grade  students  used 
tobacco  more  or  less  regularly.  It  should  be  remem- 
bered that  the  tobacco  habit  among  boys  is  invariably 
acquired  clandestinely,  and  is  generally  not  known  to 
parents  until  the  odor  or  fragments  of  tobacco  in  the 
clothing  force  the  matter  upon  their  attention.  Parents 
are  invariably  surprised  to  find  that  their  own  children 
smoke. 

The  fact  remains,  however,  that  a  great  many  grade 
children  use  tobacco  and  that  the  habit  is  far  more  de- 
structive to  children  than  the  average  parent  realizes. 
As  pointed  out  in  another  section,  tobacco  is  not  only  a 
narcotic  but  an  irritant  as  well.  Just  at  a  time  in  life 
when  the  child  should  be  active  and  sweet-tempered  the 
use  of  tobacco  depresses  and  irritates  him.  Ambition 
for  both  mental  and  physical  activity  are  replaced  by  a 


hi  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

desire  for  inactivity  and  a  shirking  of  even  the  slightest 
responsibility.  Kindness  to  parents  and  others  soon 
disappears  after  the  tobacco  habit  is  acquired,  and 
selfishness  predominates.  A  cigarette  smoking  youth 
not  only  has  but  little  desire  for  mental  activity,  but, 
what  is  equally  as  bad,  he  has  sub-normal  ability  for  it. 
Investigations  have  shown  that  such  boys  actually  pos- 
sess lower  mentality  than  the  average  normal  boy,  and, 
furthermore,  that  the  only  way  to  restore  this  lost  vital- 
ity is  to  prohibit  the  use  of  tobacco. 

The  tobacco  problem  among  children  is  not  limited 
to  a  single  locality  or  state.  If  every  teacher  in  the 
United  States  from  the  largest  cities  to  the  smallest 
country  district,  were  called  together,  it  would  hardly 
be  too  much  to  say  that  scarcely  a  single  individual 
would  be  found  who  is  not  willing  to  raise  his  voice 
against  the  tobacco  evil.  If  the  parents  and  other 
grownups  will  unite  in  a  campaign  against  this  mon- 
ster evil,  it  can  be  conquered.  Before  satisfactory  re- 
sults are  finally  achieved,  however,  many  grownups 
will  themselves  have  to  reform,  others  will  have  to  be- 
come interested,  and  all  will  have  to  remain  vigilantly 
awake  to  the  seriousness  of  the  situation. 

The  statements  following  could  be  added  to  almost 
indefinitely.  Practically  every  experienced  instructor 
in  the  country  is  now  willing  to  raise  his  voice  against 
the  tobacco  evil  among  boys.  It  will  be  noted  that  the 
statements  come  from  every  section  of  the  country. 

The  late  Judge  Alexander  McMaster  of  the 
Juvenile  Court  of  Salt  Lake,  who  was  verv  successful 


TOBACCO  AND  SCHOLARSHIP  IN  GRADES.     213 

in  his  experience  with  boys,  says  of  the  seriousness  of 
the  tobacco  habit : 

"In  my  judgment,  and  with  the  experience  I  have 
had  with  thousands  of  boys,  I  am  convinced  that  the 
most  serious  problem  confronting  the  people  of  Utah, 
and  the  United  States  for  that  matter,  is  the  cigarette 
habit.  I  believe  it  is  doing  more  damage  intellectually, 
morally  and  physically  to  our  boys  than  all  other  sins 
combined,  because  it  is  the  forerunner  of  many  of  the 
evils  to  which  boys  succumb.  I  have  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  following  are  among  the  most  impor- 
tant objections  to  the  cigarette  habit: 

1.  It  is  a  filthy  habit  for  children  to  form. 

2.  It  injures  the  health. 

3.  It  weakens  the  will  power. 

4.  It  saps  both  physical  and  mental  power. 

5.  It  makes  boys  dishonest  and  unreliable. 

6.  It  robs  them  of  opportunities  for  securing  posi- 
tions of  emolument  and  trust,  as  many  of  the  large 
business  institutions  will  not  employ  a  boy  who  uses 
tobacco. 

7.  It  is  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  truancy.  Out 
of  the  many  boys  who  graduate  from  the  eighth  grade 
this  spring,  scarcely  a  corporal's  guard  will  be  tobacco 
users.     They  practically  all  fail  in  school." 

L.  R.  Alderman,  Superintendent  School  District  ,No. 
1,  Portland,  Oregon,  says: 

"The  bad  effects  of  cigarette  smoking  upon  the  boy 
cannot  be  over-stated.     If  persisted  in,  it  causes  mental 


214  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

languor  and  finally  dulls  the  mental  faculties  so  that 
progress  in  school  is  greatly  retarded.  The  loss  of  in- 
terest causes  the  boy  to  drop  out  of  school  sooner  or 
later.  The  effect  upon  the  boy  morally  and  physically 
is  just  as  great.  Both  the  will  and  the  physical  con- 
stitution are  weakened  so  that  the  powers  of  resistance 
are  greatly  diminished,  resulting  in  many  cases  in  moral 
delinquency  and  physical  weakness." 

J.  M.  Gwinn,  Superintendent  Public  Schools,  New 
Orleans,  La.,  says : 

"I  am  pleased  to  state  that  I  can  furnish  you  some- 
thing better  than  my  opinion  on  the  influence  of  to- 
bacco on  boys.  Under  separate  cover  I  am  sending 
you  a  copy  of  my  report  of  1912-13,  and  would  direct 
your  attention  to  pages  104-5  of  this  report."  (The 
report  shows  that  39  per  cent  of  the  smokers  failed  of 
promotion  as  compared  with  19.9  per  cent  of  all  the 
boys  enrolled.) 

Ida  L.  Gregory,  Clerk,  Juvenile  Court,  City  and 
County  of  Denver,  Colo.,  says: 

"We  have  found  in  many  cases  that  boys  become 
almost  feeble  in  mentality  through  the  use  of  the  cigar- 
ette. Along  educational  lines  the  average  cigarette 
smoker  is  two  grades  behind  the  normal  boy  who  does 
not  smoke.  He  is  less  able  to  resist  temptation,  and 
has  a  constant  desire  for  the  abnormal  things  of  life; 
and  as  the  boy  grows  older  the  desire  for  liquor  nat- 
urally follows  the  cigarette  habit.  TTe  soon  develops 
habits  of  idleness,  carelessness  and  disrespect." 


TOBACCO  AND  SCHOLARSHIP  IN  GRADES.     215 

Frank  K.  Graves,  Professor  Graded  Schools,  South 
Rovalton,  Vt,  is  quoted  as  saying': 

"We  have  never  yet  found  a  bright  active  pupil  in 
any  of  our  schools  who  used  cigarettes.  On  the  con- 
trary, we  have  found  many  dull,  listless,  backward 
pupils  whose  memories  were  treacherous  and  whose 
habits  and  natures  were  positively  bad,  who  did  use 
cigarettes,  and  I  have  come  to  believe  that  it  is  an  utter 
impossibility  for  a  boy  to  indulge  in  cigarette  smoking 
to  any  great  extent  and  at  the  same  time  succeed  in 
study." 

Professor  William  A.  McKeever  of  the  Kansas  State 
Agricultural  College,  who  has  done  a  great  deal  of  ex- 
perimental work  among  cigarette-smoking  boys,  re- 
ports that  out  of  several  hundred  tabulated  cases  in  his 
possession  some  of  the  very  youthful  smokers  have  been 
reduced  almost  to  a  state  of  imbecility.  Out  of  2,336 
who  were  attending  public  school  only  six  were  report- 
ed "bright  students",  about  ten  "average"  and  all  the 
others  "poor"  or  "worthless".  He  points  out  that  the 
average  cigarette-smoking  youth  intends  to  prepare  his 
work,  yet  upon  beginning  to  smoke,  the  depressant  ac- 
tion of  tobacco  partly  paralyzes  his  brain,  and  the  tasks 
which  previously  looked  serious  and  urgent,  now  appear 
trivial  and  unimportant.  He  at  once  becomes  affable 
and  companionable,  and  at  the  same  time  loses  his 
former  ideals  of  industry  and  aspiration.  As  the  result 
of  a  great  many  investigations  Professor  McKeever  de- 
clares tiiat  "in  the  case  of  boys  and  youths,  cigarette 
smoking  is  very  deleterious  to  the  phyiscal  and  mental 
well-being". 


216  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

W.  L.  Bodine,  Superintendent  of  Compulsory  Edu- 
cation, Chicago,  states  that  before  he  was  engaged  for 
this  position  he  regarded  the  agitation  against  cigar- 
ettes as  more  or  less  unfounded  and  the  work  of  irre- 
sponsible enthusiasts,  but  since  he  has  become  acquaint- 
ed with  the  actual  influence  of  tobacco  upon  scholar- 
ship he  has  come  to  the  conclusion  that  "the  cigarette 
evil  is  one  of  the  most  vital  questions  before  the  public 
of  today  and  a  peril  to  school  children  which  should  be 
eliminated".  Superintendent  Bodine  comes  into  per- 
sonal contact  with  more  than  fifteen  thousand  truants 
each  year,  and,  in  consequence,  should  be  prepared  to 
speak  authoritatively  upon  such  matters. 

Superintendent  Bodine  states  that  he  lias  sent  1,015 
boys  to  the  Chicago  Parental  School  for  habitual  tru- 
ancy, together  with  a  few  classroom  incorrigibles.  all 
of  whom  were  between  seven  and  fourteen  years  of  age. 
Eighty  per  cent  of  this  number  were  cigarette  smokers. 
Their  general  scholarship  may  be  judged  from  the 
following: 

189  came  from  the  First  Grade, 
217  came  from  the  Second  Grade, 
301  came  from  the  Third  Grade, 
146  came  from  the  Fourth  Grade, 
47  came  from  the  Fifth  Grade, 
140  came  from  the  Sixth  Grade, 

4  came  from  the  Seventh  Grade. 

1  came  from  the  Eighth  Grade. 

The  smokers  came  wholly  from  the  first  five  grades 


TOBACCO  AND  SCHOLARSHIP  IN  GRADES.     217 

and  the  non-smokers  almost  excluesively  from  the  sixth, 
seventh  and  eighth.  A  great  many  boys  twelve  and 
thirteen  years  old  came  from  the  first,  second  and  third 
grades.  Superintendent  Bodine  considers  that  he  has 
proof  "beyond  doubt  that  cigarettes  create  backward 
pupils".  It  is  interesting  to  know  that  cigarette  smok- 
ing is  fully  as  common  among  the  spoiled  children  of 
the  rich  as  the  neglected  ones  of  the  poor. 

The  following  data,  taken  from  an  article  by  Pro- 
fessor P.  L.  Lord  in  the  School  Journal,  seem  to  show 
an  undeniably  close  association  between  the  use  of  to- 
bacco and  unwholesome  conditions  in  general.  The 
children  involved  were  in  attendance  at  the  New  York 
City  Public  schools.  After  ascertaining  the  habits  of 
a  large  number  of  boys  with  respect  to  cigarette  smok- 
ing, twenty  were  chosen  by  lot  from  each  group.  It  is, 
of  course,  fully  apparent  that  this  method  of  selection 
eliminated  any  possibility  of  unfairness  due  to  the 
probable  inclinations,  one  way  or  the  other,  of  those  in 
charge,  and,  in  consequence,  the  group  should  be  repre- 
setative  of  the  whole. 

The  boys  were  taken  from  the  same  classes  and  the 
same  schools,  thus  insuring  complete  similarity  in  the 
matter  of  school  environment.  Their  aees  raneed 
from  ten  to  seventeen  years,  and  averaged  fourteen. 
The  selection  by  lot  took  them  from  among  the  rich 
and  the  poor,  the  pampered  and  the  neglected.  The 
following  reports  were  made  imparitally  by  ten  teach- 
ers after  the  boys  had  been  under  observation  for  sev- 
eral  months : 


218  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

Number  of       Number  of 
Smokers  Non-smokers 

Nervous     14  1 

Impaired  hearing    13  1 

Poor  workers  or  not  able  to  work 

continuously    17  1 

Poor  memory   12  1 

Slow  thinkers   19  3 

Bad   manners 16  2 

Untruthful     9  0 

Low  Deportment    13  1 

Poor  physical  condition 12  2 

Bad  moral  condition    14  0 

Bad  mental  condition    18  1 

Street  loafers    16  0 

Out    nights    1.5  0 

Careless  in  dress    12  4 

Not  neat  and  clean    12  1 

Truants    10  0 

Low  rank  in  studies    18  3 

Failed  of  promotion 79*  2* 

Older  than  average  of  grade  ....  19  2 

*Times. 

A  glance  at  the  two  columns  is  quite  sufficient  to 
show  the  marked  inferiority  of  the  smokers.  The  total 
number  of  deliquencies  for  the  twenty  smokers  is  338, 
an  average  of  seventeen  for  each  individual,  while 
among  the  non-smokers  the  average  is  only  1*4-  The 
items  connecting  low  mentality  with  cigarette  smok- 
ing are  just  here  of  especial  interest. 


TOBACCO  AND  SCHOLARSHIP  IN  GRADES.     219 

Out  of  every  twenty  smokers  nineteen  are  poor  think- 
ers. 

Eighteen  out  of  twenty  smokers  are  in  bad  mental 
condition  and  rank  low  in  their  studies. 

There  are  forty  times  as  many  failures  of  promo- 
tion among-  the  smokers  as  among  the  non-smokers. 

Practically  every  smoker  is  older  than  the  average 
for  the  grade,  and  practically  every  non-smoker 
younger  than  the  average. 

It  would  scarcely  be  too  much  to  say  that  there  is  not 
a  single  vice  present  among  children  of  the  grades  doing 
more  harm  than  cigarettes.  Another  condition  almost 
equally  as  grave  is  that  average  American  parents  do 
not  realize  this  to  be  the  case.  Furthermore,  of  the 
small  percentage  of  parents  who  are  familiar  with  the 
evil  effects  of  tobacco,  most  of  them  seem  to  think  that 
it  is  the  children  of  other  men  and  women  who  smoke 
and  not  their  own.  When  they  finally  awaken  to  the 
seriousness  of  the  situation  it  is  ordinarily  only  when 
their  own  children  are  so  far  injured  by  the  tobacco 
habit  that  recovery  is  exceedingly  difficult  if  not  im- 
possible. 

There  does  not  appear  to  be  a  single  community  in 
the  United  States,  no  matter  how  small,  that  has  not 
been  effected  by  the  tobacco  peril,  and  the  injury  so 
wrought  is  commonly  sufficient  to  stand  between  the 
user  and  success. 


XIX 

TOBACCO  AND  JUVENILE  DELINQUENCY 

Investigations  touching  the  use  of  tobacco  by  boys, 
invariably  disclose  a  close  association  of  this  habit  and 
failure  in  the  performance  of  duty.  It  has  been  pointed 
out,  and  that  very  properly,  that  tobacco  should  not  be 
blamed  for  all  of  the  delinquencies  of  its  users.  Some 
writers  have  claimed  that  a  large  percentage  of  the 
children  who  acquire  the  habit  are  already  below  nor- 
mal in  mentality,  and,  therefore,  do  wrong  pri- 
marily because  of  natural  weakness.  There  is  probably 
considerable  truth  in  the  statement  that  weak-minded 
children  fall  prey  to  the  habit  more  readily  than  do 
those  of  stronger  character,  and,  in  consequence,  to- 
bacco should  not  be  blamed  for  all  of  the  wrong-doings 
of  juvenile  users. 

Note  should  be  made  of  the  fact,  however,  that  if 
tobacco  singles  out  the  weaker  children  as  its  victims, 
its  presence  becomes  just  that  much  more  menacing  to 
a  community.  A  vicious  habit  to  which  children,  al- 
ready below  normal,  naturally  fall  prey,  calls  for  un- 
usual attention.  Such  a  condition  would  seem  to  de- 
mand increased  diligence  on  the  part  of  those  engaged 
in  the  prevention  of  the  habit. 

Too  much  emphasis,  however,  must  not  be  placed 
upon  the  statement  that  tobacco  users  are  normally  of 
lower  mentality  than  non-users,  and,  therefore,  that 
tobacco  should  not  be  held  responsible  for  the  user's 


TOBACCO  AND  JUVENILE  DELINQUENCY.      221 

delinquencies,  as  it  is  a  well  known  fact,  among  all  who 
deal  with  the  children,  that  even  brilliant  students  be- 
come listless  and  backward  almost  immediately  upon 
acquiring  the  habit.  And,  therefore,  while  it  is  likely 
true  that  smokng  is  sometimes  only  associated  with  de- 
linguencies,  and  not  the  primary  cause,  yet  it  is  equally 
true  that  in  many  cases  tobacco  is  the  actual  causative 
factor. 

It,  of  course,  should  not  be  held  that  the  mere  smok- 
ing of  a  cigarette,  immediately  implants  a  desire  for 
disobedience  to  parents  and  disregard  for  civil  laws, 
but  that  it  acts  as  an  introduction  to  improper  thoughts 
and  to  unwholesome  company  there  can  be  little 
question.  The  results,  however,  are  the  same  and  the 
indictment  against  tobacco  equally  grave.  That  the 
habit  among  boys  is  associated  with  low  mentality  and 
marked  disregard  for  prevailing  conceptions  of  right 
and  wrong,  no  one  who  has  studied  the  matter  will 
attempt  to  deny. 

The  chief  cause  of  deliquency  among  juvenile  to- 
bacco users  can  perhaps  first  of  all  be  traced  to  the 
fact  that  the  habit  is  almost  universally  acquired  with- 
out the  knowledge  of  parents.  There  is  scarcely  a 
father  in  the  civilized  world  who  would  teach  his  child 
the  use  of  tobacco,  or  who  would  knowingly  permit 
him  to  be  taught  by  some  one  else.  Even  fathers  who 
vigorously  defend  the  habit  in  themselves  advise  their 
children  against  it,  and  not  uncommonly  use  much 
more  severe  means  than  mere  advice.  Moreover,  chil- 
dren do  not  acquire  the  habit  because  of  any  encourage- 
ment they  have  received  in  public  schools  or  church  or- 


222  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

ganizations.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  young  smoker  is 
not  only  going  contrary  to  counsel  of  his  parents  and 
teachers,  but  what  is  perhaps  even  more  serious,  he 
knozvs  that  he  is  doing  so. 

The  mere  act  of  repeated  disobedience  engenders 
disregard.  Continued  indulgence  can  be  maintained 
only  by  deception.  Disobedience  to  parents  and  other 
authority  marks  the  beginning  of  a  long  line  of  de- 
linquencies. No  boy  or  young  man  can  maintain  his 
own  self-respect  and  continue  to  disobey  his  parents. 
The  secret  practice  of  smoking  necessarily  leads  every 
boy  into  deceiving  his  mother,  and  just  the  moment 
that  he  has  "successfully"  lied  to  his  mother,  he  is 
fully  ready  to  lie  to  the  world.  He  talks  to  his  com- 
panions of  the  way  in  which  he  escaped  detection,  and 
how  he  outwitted  the  "old  woman."  His  diregard 
for  authority  has  already  become  well-developed,  and 
he  has  long  since  taken  his  smoking  companions  into 
his  confidence  and  divorced  his  best  friends. 

It  should  be  no  wonder,  therefore,  that  cigarette 
smoking  boys  will  lie  to  the  public  school  teacher  in 
order  to  explain  an  absence  caused  by  indulgence  with 
companions.  A  boy  who  will  disregard  the  regulations 
of  the  home  should  not  be  expected  to  support  those  of 
his  school,  and  a  boy  who  will  continuously  lie  to  his 
mother,  will  not  be  truthful  to  his  teacher.  After  the 
sanctity  of  the  home  has  been  transgressed,  nothing 
remains  sacred. 

Aside  from  the  deception  invariably  arising  from 
clandestine  smoking,  the  use  of  tobacco  effects  the  boy 
physiologically  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  him  an 


TOBACCO  AND  JUVENILE  DELINQUENCY.      223 

easy  prey  for  a  coterie  of  vices.  The  narcotic  effect  of 
this  drug  reduces  not  only  the  boy's  ambition,  but  also 
his  ability.  It  induces  desire  for  rest  and  inactivity 
when  the  normal  boy  should  be  a  bundle  of  impulses 
and  ambition,  and  thus  strikes  directly  at  nature's  chief 
means  of  development.  Inactivity  is  the  curse  of  boy- 
hood ;  activity  properly  directed  is  the  salvation.  In 
this  regard  the  use  of  tobacco  aims  at  both  physical 
and  mental  development.  Science  has  fully  demon- 
strated that  even  strong  men  under  the  influence  of 
this  narcotic  not  only  care  less  for  work,  but  are  ac- 
tually less  able  to  do  it.  Juvenile  smokers  while  in- 
dulging, invariably  become  idle  both  in  body  and  mind. 

No  one  ever  saw  a  group  of  cigarette-smoking  boys 
rushing  off  to  participate  in  some  strenuous  athletic 
activity..  If  they  attend  at  all,  they  straggle  along  and 
then  only  to  sit  on  the  side  lines.  No  one  ever  knew  of 
such  boys  industriously  helping  the  father  with  the 
morning's  work  in  order  to  be  able  to  take  a  hike  into 
the  mountains.  No  one  ever  knew  of  their  vieing  with 
one  another  for  high  scholarship  positions.  Tobacco 
among  boys  is  an  ambition-killer  of  both  body  and  soul ; 
its  narcotic  effect  cannot  operate  otherwise. 

No  explanation  is  needed  for  the  attitude  of  the 
cigarette-smoking  lad  who  is  willing  that  his  mother 
should  carry  in  the  coal  and  water,  and  that  his  father 
should  build  the  fires  and  do  the  chores  while  he  himself 
remains  in  bed.  It  is  equally  unnecessary  to  explain  why 
he  is  unashamed  to  see  his  classmates  advanced  over 
him  when  he  fails  of  promotion.  A  narcotic  drug  of 
this  kind  should  be  expected  to  operate  just  as  it  does 


224  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

in  convincing  the  deliqnent  that  he  has  sufficient  justi- 
fication for  remaining  away  from  school  even  at  the 
slightest  excuse.  If  the  use  of  tobacco  did  not  cause 
its  users  to  lose  their  ambition,  the  scientific  world 
would  remove  it  from  its  present  classification  among 
the  narcotics. 

Neither  is  it  difficult  to  understand  why  juvenile 
tobacco  users  fall  behind  in  their  grades  and  drop  out 
of  school.  Desire  for  inactivity  while  in  school  and 
loss  of  ambition  generally,  coupled  with  marked  tend- 
ency toward  truancy,  not  to  mention  reduced  mentality, 
constitute  ample  reasons. 

By  reason  of  their  peculiar  positions,  public  school 
teachers  and  juvenle  court  officials  are  perhaps  best 
prepared  to  speak  of  tobacco  as  a  factor  in  delinquency 
among  boys. 

There  is  probably  not  a  single  case  on  record  of  a 
public  school  teacher  who  has  not  experienced  marked 
difficulty  with  smoking  boys.  Recently  letters  were 
sent  out  to- Superintendents  of  schools  in  every  state  in 
the  Union,  asking  for  their  experience  in  this  matter. 
The  answers  were  absolutely  unanimous  in  condemning 
the  tobacco  habit  among  juveniles.  The  statements 
following  come  from  educators  in  various  sections  of 
the  country  and  are  representative  of  the  general  senti- 
ment : 

M.  G.  Claw,  Superintendent  Sioux  City  Public 
Schools,  Sioux  City,  la. : 

"I  think  it  can  be  stated  as  axiomatic  that  the  habit- 
ual users  of  cigarettes  in  the  grade  schools  are  always 
the  retarded  pupils  and   the  pupils   who  give  trouble 


TOBACCO  AND  JUVENILE  DELINQUENCY.      225 

from  the  standpoint  of  discipline  and  who,  of  course, 
become  repeaters  and  simply  hang  on  for  a  few  years 
until  the  age  law  allows  them  to  drop  out  of  school.  It 
is  alsi .  true  that  the  type  of  youngster  in  the  high  school 
who  is  regarded  as  the  school  loafer  and  the  special 
problem  is  almost  always  the  cigarette  user." 

Wm.  S.  Smiley,  Superintendent  Public  Schools,  Den- 
ver, Colorado : 

"I  have  been  connected  with  the  East  Side  High 
School,  the  largest  high  school  of  the  city,  either  as 
teacher  or  principal  or  superintendent,  from  1886  to 
the  present  time.  I  believe  that  the  cigarette  evil 
among  young  people  is  the  source  of  more  mental, 
moral  and  physical  delinquency  than  any  other  evil 
that  I  know.  I  have  seen  such  consequences  of  the  in- 
sidious effects  of  nicotine  that  I  feel  sure  of  my  ground 
in  making  the  above  statement.  If  any  father  had 
my  experience,  he  could  not  by  any  possibility,  set  an 
example  to  his  children  of  any  indulgence  in  the  to- 
bacco habit.  I  am  no  crank  in  saying  this.  I  feel  as 
sure  of  the  truth  of  my  assertion  as  I  do  that  two  and 
two  make  four." 

L.  C.  Eggertsen,  Superintendent  Public  Schools, 
Provo,  Utah  : 

"In  the  eighth  grade,  90%  of  the  cases  where  pupils 
are  tardy  the  cigarette  is  the  cause.  In  70%  of  the  cases 
of  retarded  pupils,  in  the  fifth  and  sixth  grades,  cigar- 
ettes were  the  cause.  Eighty  per  cent  of  the  pupils  who 
were  not  morally  strong  were  users  of  tobacco.  When- 
ever we  find  d  boy  that  is  falling  behind  in  our  seventh. 


226  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

eighth  and  high  school  departments,  investigation 
shows  that  he  is  a  cigarette  user." 

H.  L.  Houghton,  General  Secretary,  Charity  Bu- 
reau, Sioux  City,  la. : 

"As  head  of  the  department  of  attendance  in  our 
public  schools  we  have  made  an  investigation  of  the 
effect  of  tobacco  upon  grade  school  boys  and  find  that 
universally  the  boys  who  use  tobacco  are  the  boys 
who  fail  to  pass ;  who  are  guilty  of  truancy  and  other 
deliquencies ;  who  become  stupid  and  shiftless;  who 
lose  the  zest  of  life  and  enthusiasm  for  better  things. 
We  went  from  building  to  building  and  talked  to  the 
boys  themselves  as  well  as  to  the  teachers  and  found 
the  boys  who  are  bright  in  their  studies  begin  to  fail 
to  pass  after  they  begin  to  use  tobacco.  As  Juvenile 
Officer  I  believe  without  exception  every  boy  com- 
mitted to  the  State  Reform  School  was  a  user  of  to- 
bacco. When  we  promoted  the  tobacco  cure,  large 
numbers  of  boys  came  themselves  begging  for  the  cure 
showing  that  the  effect  of  tobacco  using  was  destruc- 
tive to  will  power.  In  short,  the  effect  of  the  cigarette 
habit  has  been  found  to  be  most  disastrous." 

Professor  William  A.  McKeever  of  the  Kansas  State 
Agricultural  College,  after  years  of  experience  in  child 
study  says : 

"One  of  the  greatest  meances  to  our  moral  and  intel- 
lectual well-being  today  is  the  fact  that  ciaggrette 
smoking  is  becoming  a  popular  fad  among  boys  and 
young  men,  while  the  use  of  a  strong  pipe  is  a  close 
second  in  favor.  Go  where  you  will  in  this  broad  land 
of  ours,  and  the  pale  faces,  blear  eyes,  trembling  fingers 


TOBACCO  AND  JUVENILE  DELINQUENCY.      227 

and  the  foul  stench  of  cigarette  fumes  tell  the  same 
pathetic  story.  This  most  serious  blight  upon  the 
bloom  and  beauty  of  our  American  boyhood  is  charge- 
able to  paternal  ignorance  and  carelessness.  For  the 
past  eight  years  I  have  been  tracing  out  the  cigarette 
boy's  biography,  and  have  found  that  in  practically 
all  cases  the  lad  began  his  smoking  habit  clandestinely, 
at  an  early  age,  and  with  little  or  no  thought  of  its 
seriousness,  while  the  fond  parents  perhaps  believed 
that  their  boy  was  too  good  to  engage  in  such  a  prac- 
tice." 

Cigarette-smoking  boys  encounter  no  little  difficulty 
in  providing  themselves  with  tobacco.  In  the  first 
place  the  habit  is  acquired  without  the  consent  or 
knowledge  of  their  parents,  and,  in  consequence,  new 
supplies  must  be  obtained  in  secret  and  with  money 
that  they  themselves  can  provide.  In  the  second  place 
civil  laws  almost  universally  prohibit  its  sale  to  min- 
ors. Two  difficulties  are  at  once  encountered :  the  ob- 
taining of  money  and  the  obtaining  of  the  tobacco, 
both  of  which  are  likely  to  lead  astray. 

The  tobacco  habit  does  not  leave  its  adherents  in  a 
frame  of  mind  to  secure  more  simply  when  convenience 
provides.  When  the  supply  is  exhausted  more  must  be 
obtained,  no  matter  what  the  cost.  It  is  a  remarkable 
fact  that  men,  during  hard  times,  do  not  use  less  tobac- 
co; they  may  buy  fewer  vegetables,  shoes  and  clothing, 
but  the  usual  amount  of  tobacco  must  be  provided.  The 
longing  desire  for  tobacco  after  the  habit  is  once  ac- 
quired compels  boys  to  go  almost  to  any  length  for  it. 
Even  after  parents  have  learned  of  the  boy's  practices 


228  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

they  are  commonly  unwilling  to  provide  for  his  wants. 
His  finances  are  usually  very  much  limited,  and,  in  con- 
sequence, he  is  pushed  to  the  full  extent  of  his  resources. 
For  such  boys,  among  whom  ambition  and  moral  sense 
of  right  and  wrong  are  already  very  much  blunted,  the 
step  to  unfairness  is  but  a  very  short  one.  Money  is 
often  obtained  by  borrowing  with  promise  of  an  early 
return.  The  mother  is  usually  the  first  victim  and  then 
nearby  friends.  Inability  to  pay  when  promised  brings 
on  further  embarrassment.  The  writer  is  acquainted 
with  the  case  of  a  young  man  who  borrowed  money, 
which  his  widowed  mother  had  earned  by  washing,  and 
that  too  with  no  thought  or  prospects  of  returning  it. 

Articles  and  trinkets  of  pecuniary  value  about  the 
house  are  often  secretly  disposed  of.  And  next  comes 
the  selling  of  articles  picked  up  in  the  neighborhood. 
As  soon  as  a  young  man  has  successfully  deceived  his 
parents  he  is  willing  to  match  his  wits  with,  officers  of 
the  law,  for  with  no  respect  for  the  home  he  has  but 
little  for  the  community.  This  tobacco  career  from  the 
start  has  engendered  disobedience,  deceit,  disregard  for 
the  rights  of  others,  incorrigibility,  untruthfulness,  dis- 
honesty and  often  crime. 

Tobacco  takes  boys  from  the  wholesome  presence  of 
their  homes  and  places  them  upon  the  street.  It  di- 
vorces them  from  the  influence  of  good  books  and 
makes  them  companions  of  the  street  loafer  and  his 
unsavory  stories.  It  dismisses  them  from  school  and 
introduces  them  into  the  lives  of  the  ignorant.  It 
changes  upright,  obedient  boys  into  mere  shadows  of 
their  former  selves,  once  straightforward  and  whole- 


TOBACCO  AND  JUVENILE  DELINQUENCY.      229 

some,  but  now  willing  to  resort  even  to  crime  if  neces- 
sary that  the  demands  of  perverted  appetite  may  be 
supplied. 

Such  are  the  boys  who  make  up  the  great  bulk  of 
those  who  appear  before  the  Juvenile  Courts  from  New 
York  to  California.  Experience  everywhere  is  the 
same — the  association  of  juvenile  delinquence  with  to- 
bacco. The  following  quotations,  selected  at  random 
from  nearly  one  hundred  letters  in  the  writer's  posses- 
sion, show  the  universal  attitude  of  Juvenile  Court 
officials. 

C.  E.  Wilson,  Chief  Probation  Officer,  Sacramento, 
California : 

"I  will  state  that  in  nearly  every  case  of  delinquency, 
I  find  that  the  boy  is  an  habitual  user  of  cigarettes,  and 
there  is  no  doubt  that  they  aid  in  the  lowering  of  his 
mentality,  and  physical  strength ;  and  in  the  lowering 
of  his  mentality,  his  morals  and  ideals  are  also  low- 
ered." 

John  H.  Stevenson,  Municipal  Judge,  Portland,  Ore- 
gon : 

"Briefly  stated,  my  conviction  is  that  the  cigarette, 
howsoever  the  scientific  fact  of  its  influence  as  a  con- 
tributing factor  in  juvenile  delinquency,  mentally,  mor- 
ally and  physically,  is  a  vice  that  seems  to  be  almost 
always  associated  with  delinquent  juveniles.  My  ob- 
servation has  been  that  a  large  part  of  crime  among 
boys  is  generated  in  pool  rooms  and  similar  places 
of  public  resort,  and  that  the  cigarette  is  a  conspicuous 
incident  to  their  habits  of  personal  ill  conduct.  I  have 
it  upon  authority  of  eminent  physicians  that  the  ciga- 


230  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

rette  is  a  contributing  force  in  breaking  down  the  moral 
constitutions  of  young  men  and  boys,  and  in  view  of 
the  almost  universal  association  of  the  cigarette  and  de- 
linquency, I  am  prepared  to  accept  the  conclusion  that 
it  is  a  very  material  contributing  agent." 

Edward  O'Meara,  Judge  of  City  Court,  New  Haven, 
Connecticut : 

"I  have  observed  that  in  a  large  percentage  of  cases 
these  youthful  criminals  have  been  addicted  to  ciga- 
rette smoking.  There  is  absolutely  no  question  in  my 
mind  but  that  the  use  of  cigarettes  by  young  boys  is 
responsible  in  a  large  measure  for  juvenile  delinquents 
and  for  their  retardation  both  mentally  and  physically.'' 

Katherine  N.  Shaw,  Probation  Officer,  Ithaca,  New 
York : 

"The  cigarette  is  the  boy's  worst  enemy,  as  it  ex- 
ercises a  definite  control  upon  the  spinal  cord,  inter- 
feres with  the  functions  of  the  eye  and  makes  the  boy 
nervous  and  strikes  a  blow  at  the  most  vital  organ  of 
the  body.  The  cigarette  will  master  the  will  power 
and  dwarf  and  enfeeble  the  brain.  It  makes  cowards 
and  sneaks  of  boys  and  interferes  with  a  successful 
prosecution  of  study.  It  makes  a  boy  dishonest,  untruth- 
ful and  impure  and  criminal  in  his  life.  It  goes  hand 
in  hand  with  impure  literature,  liquors,  and  morphine. 
Tt  is  the  curse  of  the  boy,  body,  mind  and  soul.  The 
tendency  to  beer  drinking  is  greatly  strengthened  by 
cigarette  smoking.  Ninety-five  per  cent  of  cases  under 
my  supervision  from  juvenile  courts  are  cigarette 
smokers." 

One  of  the  most  serious  charges  made  against  the 


TOBACCO  AND  JUVENILE  DELINQUENCY.     231 

use  of  tobacco  by  boys  is  that  it  excites  and  pre- 
cociously develops  sexual  activity.  Premature  puberty 
creates  sexual  propensities  and  leads  to  secret  practices, 
which  may  permanently  imperil  genitive  powers.  Dr. 
L.  von  Frankl-Hochwart,  the  great  scientist  of  Vi- 
enna, gives  the  histories  of  seventy  "young  men  who 
were  heavy  smokers  and  who  complained  of  consider- 
able abnormality  of  the  genital  function".  He  reports 
that  cigarette  smoking  appeared  to  be  closely  associ- 
ated, and  that  abstinence  improved  the  condition  of 
many  of  them.  In  later  life  tobacco  is  thought  prema- 
turely to  produce  sterility  in  men. 

Unfortunately,  experience  is  everywhere  showing 
that  the  juvenile  tobacco  user  is  very  difficult  if  not  im- 
possible to  reform  :  when  once  the  habit  has  been  ac- 
quired the  user  very  seldom  frees  himself  from  its 
grasp.     Safety  lies  only  in  the  path  of  prevention. 

If  American  parents  will  unitedly  rise  up  against  this 
monster  evil  they  can  almost  immediately  avoid  a  large 
part  of  the  anguish  now  arising  from  th^  waywardness 
of  their  boys,  but  until  they  do  so  they  must  expect  to 
reap  the  reward  of  the  sowing. 


XX 

COMBATTING  THE  TOBACCO   EVIL 

Combatting  the  tobacco  evil — a  very  simple  state- 
ment but  a  very  difficult  task.  Anyone  who  ventures 
into  this  reform  will  find  almost  numberless  obstacles 
in  his  path.  One  of  the  most  discouraging  features 
of  the  entire  problem  is  the  apparent  indifference  with 
which  most  people,  both  smokers  and  non-smokers, 
view  it.  At  the  outset  nothing  is  more  apparent  than 
the  absolute  necessity  of  a  campagin  of  enthusiastic 
enlightenment,  conducted  first  of  all  among  the  grown- 
ups. 

The  complacency  with  which  parents,  whose  boys 
are  being  dragged  into  pernicious  practices  by  the  use 
of  this  vicious  substance,  commonly  view  the  matter  is 
nothing  short  of  alarming.  The  belief  is  altogether 
too  popularly  held  that  "boys  must  sow  their  wild 
<>ats".  Parents  seem  to  forget  that  an  inviolable  law 
of  this  vicious  substance,  commonly  view  the  matter  is 
atoned  for  and  lived  down,  and  that  the  slightest  trans- 
gression into  sin  must  be  retraced  in  later  life.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  habits  acquired  in  youth  almost  in- 
variably point  the  way  for  the  future  man  to  follow. 
The  lives  and  practices  of  human  beings  are  not  alto- 
gether unlike  those  of  rivers,  which  in  youth  meander 
aimlessly  across  gently  sloping  continents  toward 
the  sea,  but  which,  as  time  passes,  become  more 
firmly  entrenched  and  finally  successful  resist  any  and 


COMBATTING  THE  TOBACCO  EVIL.  233 

all  efforts  to  remove  them  from  the  channels  they  have 
dug.  The  old  adage  that  "a  stitch  in  time  saves  nine" 
has  no  more  proper  application  than  in  the  early  train- 
ing of  a  boy. 

Parents  will  have  to  be  awakened  to  the  fact  that 
early  training  is  essential  to  safety.  They  will  have 
to  be  taught  the  seriousness  of  this  devastating  scourge. 
They  must  know  that  practically  as  many  boys  and 
young  men  are  monthly  killed  by  the  tobacco  habit  as 
there  were  lives  lost  in  the  great  Titanic  or  Lusitania 
disasters.  Every  parent  should  have  the  fact  seared 
deeply  into  his  soul  that  when  once  the  cigarette  habit 
has  gotten  marked  control  of  a  boy  his  fate  is  almost 
as  surely  sealed  as  is  that  of  the  opium  fiend. 

Parents  should  be  wide  awake  to  the  practices  of 
their  own  boys.  The  ignorant  confidence  of  parents  in 
children  not  uncommonly  permits,  and  perhaps  at  times 
even  encourages,  the  acquisition  of  undesirable  habits. 
Fathers  should  know  their  boys — not  suspect  them — 
and  have  a  familiar  working  acquaintance  with  each 
one's  temptations  and  aspirations. 

Any  movement,  therefore,  will  be  a  failure  from  the 
outset  that  does  not  enthusiastically  educate  the  parent 
in  the  seriousness  of  this  habit  and  give  to  each  one  of 
them  an  active  desire  to  assist  in  a  campaign  for  better 
boys. 

When  the  parents  have  become  actively  enlightened, 
undoubtedly  the  most  profitable  point  of  attack  is 
among  boys  rather  than  men,  for  it  seems  to  be  uni- 
versally   true    that    proselyting    among    grownups    is 


234  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

more  or  less  a  failure.     Among  the  boys  the  work  will 
be  conducted  along  two  lines — prevention  and  cure. 

Avoiding  the  Tobacco  Habit. — When  attention 
is  turned  to  the  boy  himself  it  must  be  remembered  that 
here,  as  in  all  other  cases,  prevention  is  far  more 
desirable  than  cure.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  anti-tobacco 
workers  have  become  very  much  discouraged  in  their 
efforts  to  induce  smokers  to  abondon  the  habit.  Every- 
one who  has  undertaken  this  work  reports  much  the 
same  thing.  Cigarette  smokers  in  particular  are  very 
easily  converted  to  the  error  of  their  ways,  and  are  es- 
pecially profuse  in  their  denunciation  of  the  habit  and 
in  their  determination  to  abandon  it.  but  the  conver- 
sion seldom  lasts.  They  drift  back  to  it  quite  as  readily 
as  they  are  willing  to  denounce  it.  We  of  course  are 
speaking  only  in  general  terms.  Here  and  there  cer- 
tain individuals  of  exceptional  determination  and 
strength  leave  off  the  habit  and  never  return  to  it,  but 
the  bulk  of  mankind  seem  to  be  so  constituted  that 
when  their  systems  once  become  saturated  with  to- 
bacco-drugs they  are  never  quite  able  to  regain  their 
former  freedom.  The  picture  perhaps  should  not  be 
painted  too  gloomily  for  scientific  discovery  of  recent 
years  is  holding  out  brilliant  rays  of  hope  to  those  who 
are  wiling  to  free  themselves  from  this  "arch  enemy 
of  human  efficiency".  Anti-tobacco  workers,  however, 
have  learned  that  their  greatest  success  invariably 
comes  through  prevention. 

The  tobacco  habit  is  acquired  largely  during  the  per- 
iod of  adolescence,  although  some  smokers  begin  when 
mere  children  and  others  not  until  late  in  life.     The 


COMBATTING  THE  TOBACCO  EVIL.  235 

preventive  phase  of  the  problem  seems,  however,  to  be 
especially  concerned  with  adolescents  and  young  men. 
If  the  precise  causes  for  acquiring  the  habit  were  fully 
known  its  prevention  would  be  greatly  simplified. 

The  universality  of  the  habit  has  been  used  as  an 
argument  that  there  exists  in  man's  nature  some  real 
craving  which  tobacco  naturally  satisfies.  Others  ar- 
gue that  these  cravings  do  not  exist  until  created  by 
participation,  and,  therefore,  are  wholly  unnatural. 
Non-smokers,  who  have  never  used  tobacco,  almost 
universally  declare  that  they  have  no  desire  for  it  what- 
ever. The  fact  that  the  first  indulgence  in  tobacco 
invariably  produces  nausea  and  vomiting  seems  to  be 
proof  that  it  is  repulsive  to  our  natural  bodies.  It  is 
only  after  repeated  doses  that  the  body  finally  submits. 

Smokers  and  non-smokers  alike  assert  that  boys  and 
young  men  acquire  the  habit  very  largely  through  in- 
stinctive imitation.  No  influence  is  stronger  with  boys 
than  the  desire  to  become  men,  and,  in  consequence, 
they  readily  adopt  any  and  all  practices  which  they  feel 
will  make  them  manly.  It  would  appear,  therefore, 
that  as  long  as  we  have  smoking  men  we  will  have 
smoking  boys. 

The  man  who  cannot  say  "follow  me"  has  no  real 
place  in  the  anti-tobacco  campaign.  He  may  preach 
and  expound,  but  his  influence  is  detrimental  rather 
than  beneficial.  Fathers  may  make  excuses  for  their 
own  short-comings,  but  their  sons  will  none-the-less 
follow  their  examples.  Preachers  and  others  may  as- 
sert that  cigarettes  are  bad  for  boys  and  harmless  for 
grownups,  but  boys  will  not  believe  it.     Thev  want  to 


236  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

Lie  men,  and  insist  upon  adopting  practices  which  in 
their  judgment  make  them  appear  manly.  Imitation 
is  without  doubt  one  of  the  strongest  factors  in  in- 
ducing boys  and  young  men  to  smoke,  and,  therefore, 
before  any  pronounced  success  can  be  expected  every 
leader  in  the  movement  must  himself  become  an  ab- 
stainer. 

As  suggested  above,  the  campaign  against  tobacco 
is  one  largely  of  enlightenment.  Anti-tobacco  workers, 
first  of  all,  should  familiarize  themselves  with  the  latest 
scientific  findings  concerning  the  effects  of  the  tobacco 
habit.  They  should  become  enthusiastic  but  not  sen- 
sational ;  there  is  an  abundance  of  evidence  against  this 
evil  without  resorting  to  questionable  arguments. 
Understatement  rather  than  overstatement  will  be  con- 
ducive to  better  results.  In  the  main,  smokers  and 
non-smokers  are  quite  unfamiliar  with  the  extent  and 
nature  of  tobacco  poisoning.  Campaigns  of  conserva- 
tive enlightenment  cannot  but  be  followed  by  far- 
reaching  good.  Information  will  be  conveyed  to  boys 
and  young  men  chiefly  in  three  ways :  by  parents,  by 
day  school  teachers,  and  by  church  organizations. 

Non-smoking  parents  may  profitably  talk  to  their 
sons  at  a  very  early  age  about  the  injurious  effects  of 
tobacco,  and  even  before  the  children  are  old  enough 
to  be  instructed  concerning  the  matter,  the  influence  of 
the  home  will  have  great  weight  with  them.  The  prob- 
lem should  never  be  overstated,  nor  should  threats  of 
punishment  be  made  if  indulgence  is  suspected.  The 
father  must  show  complete  confidence  in  the  boy;  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  boy  absolutely  demands  it  in  ex- 


COMBATTING  THE  TOBACCO  EVIL.  237 

change  for  obedience.  T{  the  buy  is  fully  convinced 
of  the  father's  sincerity  he  will  seldom  break  confi- 
dence. A  "chummy"  father  will  have  more  weight 
with  his  son  than  will  all  other  companions  com- 
bined. 

Schools  should  devote  more  attention  to  the  evils 
of  tobacco.  Textbooks  should  make  this  matter  even 
more  emphatic.  And  above  all,  in  this  connection,  no 
grade  teacher  should  be  employed  who  is  addicted  to 
any  form  of  the  tobacco  habit.  Teachers,  next  to 
parents,  are  the  children's  ideals,  and  to  a  very  great 
extent  influence  even  the  details  of  their  lives.  A 
smoking  teacher  can  easily  neutralize  the  teachings  of 
a  whole  community.  School  surveys  not  uncommonly 
reveal  a  very  much  larger  percentage  of  smoking  boys 
than  could  possibly  have  been  expected.  By  careful, 
vigilant  watching,  along  with  intelligent  instruction, 
the  public  school  teachers  may  become  very  active  fac- 
tors in  curtailing  the  spread  of  this  pernicious  practice. 

Church  organizations,  especially  Sunday  Schools, 
are  well  designed  to  instruct  boys  and  young  men  in 
this  matter.  The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints  possesses  perhaps  the  most  unusual  facilities 
in  this  connection,  and  without  doubt  the  people  of 
this  organization  are  already  freer  from  the  use  of 
'tobacco  than  any  other  similar  group  in  the  world. 
One  of  its  doctrines  teaches  that  "tobacco  is  not  good 
for  man",  and  of  recent  years  abstinence  from  it  has 
been  made  a  requirement  of  full  fellowship.  The  un- 
paralleled organization  of  this  church  makes  it  possible, 
with  a  few  days'  notice,  for  everv  ward  unit  to  (lis- 


238  TOBACCO   \ND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY      ■ 

cuss  the  same  matter  at  precisely  the  same  time.  Par- 
ents' classes,  operating  in  connection  with  the  Sunday 
Schools,  exist  in  every  community.  The  Mutual  Im- 
provement Associations,  for  young  men  and  young 
women,  similarly  organized,  can  also  do  a  wonderful 
work  against  the  tobacco  evil. 

One  of  the  most  potent  factors  in  the  prevention  of 
tobacco  usage  is  the  proper  attitude  of  young  women 
toward  the  habit.  Although  they  may  not  be  fully 
aware  of  it,  they  have  within  their  power  to  say 
whether  or  not  their  men  companions  shall  indulge. 
Altogether  too  often,  however,  young  women  not  only 
permit  but  actually  encourage  smoking.  This  state- 
ment is  not  made  as  a  justification  for  men's  actions, 
but  as  a  disparagement  of  women's  attitude. 

It  will  be  well  for  all  anti-tobacco  workers  to  re- 
member that  isolated  and  sporadic  efforts  in  any 
reform  do  not  lead  to  pronounced  success.  The  to- 
bacco combination  in  America  is  so  thoroughly  en- 
trenched behind  men's  appetites  and  millions  of  money 
that  its  overthrow  will  be  possible  only  by  a  solid 
phalanyx  of  united  and  intelligent  workers.  The  to- 
bacco habit  will  be  uprooted  with  far  more  difficulty 
than  the  liquor  habit.  Its  principal  danger  seems  to 
lie  in  the  fact  that  so  many  consider  it  harmless.  One 
prominent  writer  recently  said  that  far  less  harm  would 
be  done  by  tobacco  if  it  were  more  harmful.  A  Cali- 
fornia attorney  states  as  the  result  of  many  years  of  ob- 
servation that  tobacco  is  far  more  injurious  than  al- 
cohol because  it  involves  more  and  better  men.  Civil- 
ized man  has  long  paid  bounties  upon  ferocious  ani- 


COMBATTING  THE  TOLACCO  EVIL.  239 

mals  because  of  their  supposed  menace  to  him,  but  has 
left  unnoticed  the  incomparably  more  dangerous  house- 
fly on  his  dining  room  table. 

First  of  all,  therefore,  the  nature  and  seriousness  of 
the  problem  must  be  well  understood,  followed  by 
well-directed  and  concerted  efforts.  The  campaign 
is  one  of  enlightenment,  conducted  in  the  broad  day- 
light of  recent  scientific  discovery.  Through  the  in- 
telligent cooperation  of  parents,  schools,  and  churches 
our  boys  and  young  men  will  gradually  be  saved  from 
the  clutches  of  the  tobacco  monster. 

The  "Bad"  Boy.— One  of  the  greatest  fallacies  ex- 
tant, with  respect  to  boys,  is  the  popular  feeling  that 
many  of  them  are  bad,  maliciously  bad.  As  proof  of 
this  "vicious  inclination"  such  examples  as  rowdiness 
in  Sunday  school,  boisterous  conduct  at  nights,  and 
clandestine  cigarette  smoking,  are  commonly  cited. 
There  can  be  no  question  that  many  boys  are  over- 
riding the  patience  of  Sunday  school  teachers,  that 
they  are  destroying  property  on  .Hallowe'en,  and  that 
they  are  smoking  without  the  knowledge  of  their 
parents,  yet  for  all  this,  there  must  be  some  reason. 
Older  people  are  altogether  too  prone  to  forget  the 
impulses  of  youth  and  to  interpret  acts  of  impropriety 
as  indicative  of  vicious  intent. It  is  quite  true  that  if 
'.nature  men  should  indulge  in  capers  commonly  prac- 
ticed by  boys,  the  civil  law  could  properly  be  called 
into  operation ;  but  boys  are  not  men,  even  though 
grownups  almost  everywhere  judge  them  by  that 
standard.  Neither  are  boys  of  this  impulsive  age  any 
longer  children,  and   they  invariably   fail   to   respond 


240  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCV 

when  so  regarded,  either  by  parent  or  teacher.  They 
are  a  mixture  of  child  and  man,  possessing  a  child's 
experience  and  a  man's  ambition,  a  child's  foresight 
and  a  man's  daring,  a  child's  wisdom  and  a  man's 
desire,  a  child's  intelligence  and  more  than  a  man's 
self-esteem.  They  are  fully  as  indifferent  to  the  in- 
terests of  childhood  as  are  the  semi-'civilized  barbarians 
to  the  traditions  and  practices  of  an  abandoned  life, 
and  equally  as  irresponsive  to  the  ways  of  manhood  as 
are  these  half  savages  to  the  demands  of  civilization. 
Yet  if  they  fail  to  respond  to  the  methods  successfully 
employed  for  children,  or  for  men,  they  are  at  once 
regarded  as  "rough-necks",  toughs",  and  "incorrigi- 
bles". 

There  can  be  no  question  that  this  failure  to  under- 
stand boys  has  been  primarily  responsible  for  many  of 
their  wrong-doings.  At  certain  stages  of  develop- 
ment, boys  have  no  compunction  in  being  looked  upon 
as  "tough",  in  fact  when  they  learn  that  they  are  so 
regarded,  they  take  it  as  a  compliment  and  at  once  set 
out  to  make  good  the  suspicion.  They  enjoy  being  in 
the  lime-light  even  better  than  do  grownups.  They 
are  in  the  height  of  their  glory  when  they  feel  that 
their  depredations  are  shocking  the  community.  They 
take  as  keen  delight  in  their  defiance  of  social  regula- 
tions, as  do  bandits  in  their  disregard  of  civil  law. 
Naturally  enough  this  attitude  commonly  leads  to  com- 
plications; the  immature  individual  seldom  knows 
enough  to  stop  without  going  too  far.  A  boy's  know- 
ing that  he  is  regarded  as  'tough"  is  one  of  the  most 
efficient  means  of  making  him  so. 


COMBATTING  THE  TOBACCO  EVIL.  241 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  no  easy  task  for  a  grownup 
to  put  himself  in  the  place  of  a  boy.  He  recalls  with 
some  ease  the  fancies  and  ambitions  of  childhood,  but 
the  erratic  transitory,  changeable  impulses  of  youth  do 
not  seem  to  have  left  a  deep  impression  upon  his  mind. 
Childhood  is  a  period  of  stable  graded  development; 
youth  is  characterized  by  rapid,  discontinuous,  transi- 
tory change.  The  one  is  easily  recalled,  easily  under- 
stood :  the  other  is  easily  forgotten  and  often  considered 
abnormal. 

The  successful  training  of  youth,  therefore,  can  be 
accomplished  only  by  studious  and  painstaking  care. 
The  fact  is  coming  to  be  recognized  among  educators 
that  only  the  very  best  teachers  available  should  be 
placed  in  charge  of  maturing  boys.  The  term  best  in 
this  connection  does  not  necessarily  mean  the  most 
highly  educated  from  a  scholastic  point  of  view,  but 
those  who  have  the  ability,  coupled  with  education,  to 
recall  the  feelings,  the  ambitions  and  temptations  of 
youth,  and  who  are,  therefore,  prepared  to  meet  the 
boys  on  their  own  ground  and  to  view  matters  as  they 
do.  This  ability  to  understand  boys  is  often  possessed 
to  a  marked  extent  by  the  "unlearned",  although  no 
one  will  deny  that  education  should  materially  assist 
in  the  matter.  Of  all  people  who  understand  boys  best 
is  the  mother,  and  second  perhaps  the  father.  Un- 
fortunately, however,  even  among  parents,  boys  are 
frequently  censured,  misjudged  and  abandoned  as 
"bad",  while  as  a  matter  of  fact  they  are  simply  mis- 
understood. 

Instead  of  being  maliciously  bad,  boys  are  seldom 


242  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

other  than  innately  good.  In  order  to  realize  the  full 
weight  of  this  statement,  one  has  only  to  obtain  the 
confidence  of  an  ordinary  boy.  His  integrity  and 
loyalty  are  not  surpassed  by  that  of  staunchest  man- 
hood. His  promise  to  a  trusted  friend  will  never  be 
broken.  There  is  something  more  genuine  in  the  shake 
of  a  boy's  hand,  the  expression  of  his  eye,  and  the  tone 
of  his  voice,  when  once  his  confidence  has  been  ob- 
tained, that  is  seldom  witnessed  in  grownups.  He 
has  not  learned  the  art  of  deceit,  so  generally  practiced 
in  later  years,  and,  in  consequence,  honesty  and  loyalty 
follow  as  natural  corollaries  of  confidence  and  friend- 
ship. 

And  again,  contrary  to  prevailing  impressions, 
boys  are  easily  trained  to  the  right.  They  are  much 
more  plastic  in  the  hands  of  a  friend  than  is  full  grown 
manhood.  They  have  no  deep-seated  habits  to  aban- 
don, no  past  to  repent  of,  no  fields  to  reap,  no  handi- 
caps to  overcome.  They  are  prepared  to  begin  work 
and  to  begin  it  at  once.  There  directions  in  life  are 
undetermined  and  their  channels  not  yet  hewn.  The 
whole  world  lies  before  them  and  they  are  willing  to 
travel  in  the  direction  indicated  by  a  trusted  friend. 
But  boys  insist  upon  confidence  of  the  genuine  kind; 
pretended  friendship,  especially  of  the  once-a-week 
sort,  they  easily  detect,  and  quickly  despise.  To  be 
successful  with  boys,  parents  and  teachers  must  know 
them  as  they  are,  enjoy  their  pleasures  with  them,  ob- 
tain their  complete  confidence,  and,  by  no  means  the 
least,  be  absolutely  true  to  them. 

Leaving  Off  ttif  Habit. — Anti-tobacco    workers 


COMBATTING  THE  TOBACCO  EVIL  243 

should  not  become  discouraged  if  their  efforts  do  not 
seem  to  be  immediately  successful.  As  Professor 
Farnum  of  Yale  University  recently  said :  "One 
peculiarity  of  the  tobacco  habit  is  that,  while  it  is  often 
difficult  to  acquire,  it  is  still  more  dfficult  to  shake  off. 
Indeed,  in  most  cases  the  will  is  as  much  bound  as  if 
the  smoker  had  signed,  sealed  and  delivered  a  mort- 
gage on  his  own  personality.  This  is  well  understood 
by  the  tobacco  trust,  which  is  giving  away  cigarettes 
to  the  people  of  China  in  the  confidence  that,  once  the 
habit  has  been  acquired,  the  trust  can  collect  its  annual 
tribute,  almost  as  surely  as  if  it  had  conquered  the 
country  in  war." 

Some  idea  of  the  permanency  of  the  enslaving 
grasp  which  the  habit  has  upon  its  victims  can 
be  further  gained  from  the  following"  statement 
of  Dr.  Kellogg,  who  it  will  be  observed  regards 
tobacco  as  more  difficult  to  abandon  than  alcohol : 
"These  facts  I  have  verified  in  the  treatment  of  several 
hundreds  of  cases  of  alcoholic  and  tobacco  addiction. 
In  treating  these  cases,  I  have  been  constantly  im- 
pressed by  two  important  facts :  First,  it  is  rarely, 
almost  never,  possible  to  effect  a  radical  cure  of  the 
alcohol  habit  when  the  patient  cannot  be  induced  to 
give  up  also  the  tobacco  habit.  Second,  in  the  great- 
majority  of  cases  in  which  the  two  drugs  are  being 
used,  the  tobacco  habit  was  the  fundamental  one ;  sev- 
eral patients  have  said  to  me :  'I  can  give  up  alcohol 
without  difficulty,  but  I  can  not  go  away  without  my 
tobacco'.  The  alcohol  habit  was  evidently  only  sup- 
plementary, serving  no  other  purpose  than  to  accentu- 


244  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

ate  the  pleasure  secured  through  the  tobacco  habit,  or 
to  afford  a  temporary  antidote  to  its  toxic  effects.  I 
have  been  so  long  convinced  of  the  importance  of  these 
ideas  that  for  twenty  years  I  have  refused  to  undertake 
the  treatment  of  cases  of  alcoholism,  without  also  pre- 
scribing as  a  preliminary  the  abandonment  of  tobacco 
and  any  other  hypnotic  drug." 

When  working  for  the  reformation  of  tobacco  users, 
especially  boys,  one  should  keep  well  in  mind  the  mental 
and  physical  condition  of  the  individual.  Tobacco  is  a 
narcotic — an  ambition-destroyer  of  both  body  and 
mind.  Its  use.  therefore,  not  only  reduces  physical 
strength  and  endurance,  but  also  mental  desire  for  bet- 
terment. The  user  is  in  the  doubly  unfortunate  con- 
dition of  being  physically  weakened  and  of  not  having 
normal  mental  strength  to  assist  in  overcoming  it.  Any 
juvenile  smoker  who  fails  to  keep  his  promises  should 
not  be  classed  with  the  normal  individual  who  similarly 
offers  disappointments.  Naturally  enough,  he  is  easily 
influenced  both  for  good  and  for  bad,  but  when  left 
alone  he  seldom,  if  ever,  has  sufficient  strength  to  carry 
out  his  promises  of  reformation.  On  the  other  hand, 
such  an  individual  readily  falls  prey  to  successively 
more  serious  vices. 

Authorities  who  have  been  dealing  with  the  reform 
of  boys  universally  agree  that  before  any  real  improve- 
ment can  be  made  the  tobacco  habit  must  go.  Dr.  E. 
C.  Meyerding,  Director  of  Hygiene  in  the  Public 
Schools  of  Saint  Paul,  recently  said :  "We  have  many 
cases  of  children  who  were  tobacco  users,  that  were 
behind  in  grade,  poor  health,  incorrigible  and  who  have 


COMBATTING  THE  TOBACCO  EVIL.  245 

improved  to  the  normal  standard  simply  by  stopping 
the  use  of  tobacco." 

Judge  W.  \V.  Tindall,  of  the  Juvenile  Court  of  At- 
lanta, Georgia,  says :  "Nearly  all  boys  brought  into 
the  Juvenile  Court  are  cigarette  smokers.  It  is  my 
observation  that  nothing  can  be  done  with  a  boy  on 
probation  if  he  persists  in  smoking.  Hence,  a  boy's 
smoking,  after  we  put  him  on  probation,  is  generally 
considered  a  violation  of  the  terms  of  probation,  and 
the  boy  is  taken  in  custody  again.  For  we  believe  that 
smoking  weakens  a  boy's  will  and  burns  out  his  finer 
mental,  moral  and  physical  fiber." 

Of  the  possibility  of  reform  after  discontinuing  the 
habit  Superintendent  E.  O.  Holland  of  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  says  :  "By  the  elimination  of  cigarette 
smoking  and  other  bad  habits,  the  mental,  moral  and 
physical  delinquent  can  frequently  be  saved.  The 
movement  to  eradicate  cigarette  smoking  among  boys 
is  a  splendid  one,  and  should  be  taken  up  in  conjunction 
with  the  general  question  of  studying  the  lives  of  young 
people  to  see  what  other  things  indulged  in  by  them 
are  injurious." 

Campaigns  for  the  reform  of  tobacco  users  are 
usually  conducted  along  two  lines — prohibition  and  en- 
lightenment. Nearly  every  state  in  the  Union  has 
placed  upon  its  statutes  laws  prohibiting  the  use  of 
tobacco  by  minors.  These  laws  have  not  been  any- 
thing like  universally  enforced,  primarily  because  of 
the  general  belief  among  grownups  that  thev  are  dis- 
criminatory. Non-smokers  of  course  do  not  under- 
stand why  the  use  of  tobacco  among  boys  should  be 


246  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

regarded  as  a  crime,  and  among  men  as  a  virtue.  .  Just 
why  a  boy  at  twenty  years  of  age  should  be  sent  to  a 
detention  home  and  another  of  twenty-one  should  be 
admitted  into  the  best  classes  of  society  is  admittedly 
difficult  to  understand.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  of 
a  smoking  parent  who  could  conscientiously  inform  on 
a  boy  of  eighteen  for  doing  the  same  things  of  which 
he  himself  is  guilty. 

The  time  will  without  doubt  come  when  laws  will 
be  enacted  prohibiting  the  use  of  tobacco  by  everyone. 
But  in  the  meantime  our  prohibitory  laws  for  children 
are  of  very  great  worth,  even  if  they  do  encourage 
clandestine  smoking  among  minors.  One  of  the  most 
discouraging  features  in  Juvenile  Court  procedure  is 
the  apparent  indifference  in  which  grownups  look  upon 
the  violation  of  this  law.  Parents  generally  should 
awaken  to  the  fact  that  good  laws  and  good  court 
officials  alone  cannot  make  a  good  community.  Offi- 
cials must  have  the  active  support  of  citizens.  No 
matter  how  commendable  a  law  may  be,  it  will  utterly 
fail  if  the  sympathy  of  the  community  is  not  aligned 
with  its  enforcement. 

Strict  enforcement  of  laws  will  aid  greatly  in  the 
solution  of  the  tobacco  problem.  But  beyond  the  boy 
is  the  smoking  parent,  who  also  must  be  converted. 
One  scarcely  needs  prophetic  vision  to  state  that  the 
time  will  come  when  the  whole  nation  will  rise  up  and 
legislate  against  the  use  of  tobacco  even  by  adults. 
Anli-tobacco  advocates,  however,  must  not  rely  upon 
force.  Men  must  be  converted ;  compulsion  alone  is 
vain. 


COMBATTING  THE  TOBACCO  EVIL.  247 

Individual  work  among  boys  has  been  of  great  prac- 
tical value  both  in  the  prevention  and  cure  of  the  to- 
bacco habit.  Anti-tobacco  workers  should  not  feel 
that  they  have  done  their  full  duty  in  distributing  liter- 
ature, in  conducting  classes,  or  in  giving  public  lectures. 
The  "follow-up"  method  is  absolutely  essential,  espe- 
cially with  young  men  who  have  already  acquired  the 
habit.  Neither  should  individuals  be  condemned  who 
have  promised  to  reform  and  who  later  have  not  made 
good.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  tobacco  evil  in 
time  entrenches  itself  into  the  lives  of  its  devotees 
almost,  if  not  quite,  as  thoroughly  as  does  opium. 
Undoubtedly  there  are  a  great  many  smokers  who  do 
not  possess  sufficient  will  power  to  abandon  the  habit, 
no  matter  how  fully  they  may  be  converted  to  the  ne- 
cessity of  doing  so.  The  writer  is  personally  acquaint- 
ed with  several  young  men  who,  with  tears  streaming 
from  their  eyes,  have  told  him  they  would  never  use 
the  poison  again,  but  who,  when  left  alone,  quickly 
relapsed.  A  young  acquaintance  who  had  recently  lost 
his  wife,  was  shortly  after  sent  to  a  hospital  because  of 
a  serious  bodily  injury.  While  there  he  had  days  and 
weeks  in  which  to  ponder  on  his  past  life  and  his  as- 
sociation with  his  recently  departed  companion.  His 
determination  to  reform  in  regard  to  the  tobacco  habit 
was  strengthened  by  the  miraculous  way  in  which  his 
own  life  had  been  spared.  When  well  advanced  toward 
recovery,  he  narrated  to  the  writer  the  things  which  he 
saw  while  still  unconscious  from  the  almost  fatal  acci- 
dent which  had  sent  him  to  the  hospital.  He  felt  that 
he  owed  his  life  to  the  beneficence  of  Deity  and  that  he 


248  TOBACCO   AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

himself  henceforth  must  be  clean  and  obedient.  No 
one  could  have  been  more  sincere  in  his  repentance  and 
in  his  desire  to  live  a  better  life.  But  soon  after  his 
discharge  from  the  hospital  the  old  hankerings  for  to- 
bacco, aided  by  the  example  of  improper  companions, 
finally  overcame  him.  On  a  later  occasion  in  conversa- 
tion with  the  writer  he  confessed  his  utter  inability  to 
cope  with  the  tobacco  monster.  Today,  he  still 
smokes,  and  today  he  is  still  converted  to  the  full 
necessity  of  reform;  the  spirit  says  "yes",  but  his 
nicotine  master  holds  him  fast. 

Strong"  men  of  exceptional  will  power  should  not 
universally  condemn  others  who  fail  to  reform.  In  the 
early  stages  of  tobacco  use,  anyone  with  desire  can  re- 
form, but  as  time  passes  the  tobacco  monster  sends 
its  tentacles  farther  and  farther  into  every  fibre  of  the 
human  system  until  finally  it  becomes  master  of  soul 
and  body.  The  proportion  of  adults  who  are  able  com- 
pletely to  abandon  the  practice  is  very  small  in  compari- 
son with  the  wast  number  who  relapse.  Among  younger 
smokers  who  have  not  tried  to  reform  the  statement 
is  commonly  heard,  "Oh,  I  can  stop  any  time  I  want 
to",  but  among  older  smokers  this  opinion  is  seldom 
voiced,  evidently  because  most  of  them  have  tried,  and 
failed.  Tf  reform  is  to  be  expected  it  sin  mid  be  started 
early. 

The  individual  who  wants  to  reform  should  be 
helped,  for  when  left  alone  he  usually  fails.  He  should 
be  looked  upon  as  an  abnormal  being  weakened  both  in 
body  and  mind.  The  first  step  in  the  treatment  of  the 
repentant  tobacco  user  must  be  designed  to  bring  about 


COMBATTING  THE  TOBACCO  EVIL.  249 

a  marked  change  in  his  mental  and  physical  condi- 
tions, both  of  which  will  likely  respond  to  the  same 
stimulus.  In  the  first  place  he  should  be  transferred  to 
healthful  surroundings  away  from  the  contaminating 
influences  of  his  former  companions.  He  is  seldom 
able  to  overcome  when  constantly  tempted  by  those 
about  him.  He  should  be  provided  with  plenty  .of 
strenuous  out-of-door  exercise.  An  idle  brain  with  an 
idle  body  naturally  reverts  to  former  thoughts  and 
practices. 

The  food  he  eats  should  be  selected  with  especial  at- 
tention to  his  particular  physical  condition.  Stimu- 
lating articles  of  diet  including  meat,  tea,  coffee,  alco- 
hloic  beverages,  and  condiments  should  be  studiously 
avoided,  as  these  are  thought  to  intensify  the  cravings 
for  narcotics.  The  diet  should  consist  essentially  of 
fruits,  well  cooked  vegetables  and  probably  milk,  al- 
though in  some  cases  the  latter  is  not  always  thought 
to  be  suitable.  The  moderate  use  of  nuts,  well  masti- 
cated, is  considered  to  be  of  value.  The  free  use  of 
sub-acid  fruits,  suck  as  peaches,  pears,  apples,  pineap- 
ples, etc.,  at  the  close  of  each  meal  has  been  attended 
by  good  results.  The  aim  should  be  to  avoid  all  foods 
and  drinks  which  intensify  the  cravings  for  tobacco, 
and  to  adopt  a  diet  such  as  that  suggested  which  will 
lessen  it. 

Tobacco  poisons  stored  in  the  body  commonly  ex- 
hibit their  ill  effects  in  nervousness  and  depression 
for  a  period  of  several  days  after  the  habit  has 
been  abandoned.  One  of  the  most  valuable  fac- 
tors in  helping  to  eliminate  these  poisons  is  the  daily 


250  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

bath  taken  either  at  night  or  morning-.  The  Turkish 
bath  seems  to  be  preferable,  although  when  conveni- 
ences are  not  at  hand,  a  pail  of  hot  water  with  soap  and 
sponge,  will  suffice.  The  bath  should  be  followed  by 
brisk  rubbing  with  a  coarse  towel.  Free  movement  of 
the  bowels  will  aid  materially  in  the  elimination  of 
tobacco  poisons. 

Of  recent  years  anti-cigarette  workers  of  Chicago 
and  elsewhere  have  employed,  with  reported  good 
results,  a  mouth  wash  of  silver  nitrate  solution, 
consisting  of  from  one  to  two  parts  of  silver 
nitrate  dissolved  in  four  hundred  parts  of  water. 
The  treatment  should  be  employed,  however,  only 
under  the  direction  of  a  competent  physician.  It 
is  recommended  that  the  wash  be  brought  into 
thorough  contact  with  the  lining  of  the  mouth  but 
not  swallowed,  and  that  it  should  be  used  after  each 
meal  for  three  successive  days,  then  after  breakfast 
only  for  not  more  than  four  days  and  then  discontin- 
ued. The  chewing'  of  a  little  genetian  root  whenever 
a  strong  desire  for  tobacco  appears  is  thought  to  be 
beneficial. 

Dr.  T.  D.  Crothers,  Superintendent  of  Walnut 
Lodge  Sanitarium  for  Drug  Habits,  prescribes  the 
following':  "If  the  desire  for  smoking  is  intense,  com- 
pressed hops  may  be  placed  in  the  pipe  and  smoked  for 
a  few  moments.  If  the  desire  to  chew  is  prominent, 
use  chamomile  blossoms  swallowing  the  fluids.  Every 
now  and  then  wash  out  the  mouth  with  a  weak  salt- 
water solution.  If  the  nervousness  continues,  buy  some 
3-grain  lupulin  (hop)  tablets.     Take  two  or  three  at  a 


COMBATTING  THE  TOBACCO  EVIL.  251 

dose,  particularly  at  night.  When  the  nervousness 
passes  off  their  use  can  be  dropped.  Should  the  ner- 
vousness become  distressing,  have  water,  either  hot  or 
cold,  poured  from  an  elevation  of  several  feet  upon  the 
spine  so  that  the  effect  of  the  water  may  produce  a 
quieting  action   upon   the   nervous   system." 

Observers  state  that  as  a  rule  from  three  to  six  weeks 
are  required  to  eliminate  the  desire  for  tobacco.  Much 
of  course  depends  upon  the  thoroughness  with  which 
directions  are  followed  as  well  as  upon  individual  cases. 
Congenial  society,  healthful  out-of-door  exercise,  plenty 
of  properly  selected  food,  daily  baths,  and  simple  reme- 
dies coupled  with  sincere  desire  will  accomplish  won- 
ders for  the  ordinary  cigarette-smoking  boy.  Those  who 
have  thus  been  relieved  should  not  feel  that  they  are 
immune  to  the  attacks  of  future  temptations.  Cases 
of  complete  annihilation  of  former  appetites  are  al- 
most unknown.  Relapses  may  be  avoided  only  by 
constant  vigilance  and  total  abstinance.  The  most 
complete  reform  that  can  be  accomplished  seems  to  be 
relief  of  craving,  but  scarcely  elminiation  of  appetite. 
When  once  the  habit  has  been  contracted  it  leaves  ling- 
ering desires  long  years  after  abandonment.  We  again 
of  course  are  speaking  only  in  general  terms.  Isolated 
cases  are  here  and  there  reported  of  individuals  who 
completely  lost  all  desire  immediately  after  discontin- 
uing its  use. 

T11  some  respects  the  smoking  grownup  is  more  dif- 
ficult to  reach  than  the  youth ;  this  condition  is  at 
least  partly  due  to  the  prevailing  opinion  that  the  use  of 
tobacco  is  much  more  disastrous  to  bovs  than  to  men. 


252  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

Smoking  adults  not  infrequently  render  valuable  aid  to 
anti-tobacco  workers  among  adolescents,  but  almost 
invariably  resent  efforts  directed  toward  their  own  re- 
formation. A  large  percentage  of  smokers  quite  read- 
ily admit  that  the  practice  may  be  somewhat  detri- 
mental to  them,  but  very  few  seem  to  understand  the 
seriousness  of  the  injury,  and  practically  all  of  them 
claim  smoking  as  one  of  the  inalienable  rights  of  free 
men.  Herein  lies  the  key  which  seems  to  furnish  the 
best  method  of  reforming  the  smoking  grownup 

In  the  first  place,  he  must  be  convinced  that  the  use 
of  tobacco  is  not  only  injurious  to  his  health,  but  that 
it  is  otherwise  diminishing  his  chances  for  success.  He 
must  be  shown  that  its  use  in  reducing  both  his  mental 
and  physical  ability  considerably  below  normal,  and 
that  this  kind  of  reduction,  in  matters  of  close  compe- 
tition, will  commonly  stand  between  him  and  success. 
The  smoker  seldom  knows  or  even  believes  that  he  is 
laboring  under  reduced  efficiency  .  Actual  tests  of  en- 
durance, both  mental  and  physical,  may  be  used  to 
good  advantage   in  convincing  him  of  his  condition. 

In  the  second  place,  the  smoker  must  be  shown  that 
it  is  not  his  inalienable  right  to  do  anything  that  is 
deciedly  injurious  to  others:  his  freedom  is  limited  to 
conduct  that  does  not  impair  similar  rights  of  those 
about  him.  He  should  be  willing  to  admit  that  he  has 
no  right  to  implant  undesirable  predispositions  in  his 
children  before  birth,  or  to  injure  the  health  of  those 
already  born.  He  has  no  right  to  befoul  the  air  of 
public  places,  and  above  all  he  has  no  right  to  induce 
children  to  follow  his  example.     Tt  is  admitted  every- 


COMBATTING  THE  TOBACCO  EVIL.  253 

where,  moreover,  that  children  acquire  the  tobacco 
habit  very  largely  through  imitation,  which,  if  true, 
places  the  responsibility  upon  smoking  adults. 

Many  fathers  abandon  the  use  of  tobacco  almost  sole- 
ly because  they  do  not  want  their  sons  to  acquire  the 
habit.  It  should  plainly  be  manifest  to  any  parent  that 
he  cannot  successfully  preach  abstinance  as  long  as 
he  himself  continues  to  indulge.  Smoking-adults,  who 
are  not  parents,  should  also  be  convinced  of  their  re- 
sponsibility in  this  matter. 

Undoubtedly  one  of  the  most  effective  means  of 
overcoming  the  tobacco  habit  is  religious  conversion. 
This  is  particularly  true  among  the  "Mormon"  people, 
where  full  fellowship  entails  total  obstinance.  Be- 
fore being  admitted  into  the  church,  converts  are 
taught  the  necessity  of  complying  with  this  require- 
ment. The  writer  is  personally  acquainted  with  scores 
of  persons,  who  upon  being  converted,  immediately 
abandoned  the  habit  and  have  never  returned  to  it. 

For  many  years  during  the  early  history  of  the  "Mor- 
mon'' church,  laymen  regarded  this  regulation  as  ad- 
visory rather  than  compulsory,  and,  in  consequence,  the 
use  of  tobacco  was  not  uncommon  among  them,  but  of 
more  recent  years,  as  the  matter  became  better  under- 
stood, a  very  large  percentage  of  them  have  abandoned 
it  entirely.  New  and  old  converts  alike  daily  bear 
testimony  to  the  strength  derived  through  prayer  and 
proper  living.  Many  of  them  testify  that  upon 
being  converted  to  the  necessity  of  compliance,  all  ap- 
petite for  tobacco  immediately  disappeared.  The  clean- 
ly and  wholsome  lives  of  thousands  of  members  of  this 


254  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

organization  bear  testimony  to  the  effectiveness  of  re- 
lig-ious  conversion. 

The  matter  of  combatting  the  tobacco  evil  is  a  ver> 
serious  and  difficult  one.  Any  concerted  effort  di- 
rected against  the  habit  will  be  met  by  well  organized 
opposition;  the  tobacco  combine  with  its  millions  of 
money  will  not  retreat  without  a  mighty  struggle. 
Then  again,  smokers  themselves  will  be  slow  to  aban- 
don the  habit,  and  youths  will  continue  to  acquire  it. 
But  the  tobacco  evil  can  and  must  be  eliminated  from 
the  lives  of  all  civilized  and  uncivilized  peoples.  The 
campaign  to  accomplish  this  must  be  a  concerted  and 
continuous  one ;  and  the  reward  will  be  far  more  than 
commensurate  with  the  effort. 


XXI 

WOMEN  AS  AFFECTED   BY  THE  TOBACCO   HABIT 

Girls  Smoking. — At  first  thought  it  may  appear 
that  an  apology  should  be  made  for  associating  the  fe- 
male sex  in  any  way  with  the  habit  of  smoking,  but  in 
fact,  there  is  ample  justification  for  serious  consider- 
ation of  this  phase  of  the  tobacco  problem.  The  gravity 
of  the  situation  does  not  arise  so  much  from  the  pres- 
ent prevalence  of  the  habit  as  it  does  from  future  prob- 
abilities. Even  at  the  present  time,  however,  the  prac- 
tice of  cigarette  smoking  among  certain  classes  of  girls 
is  altogether  more  common  than  is  usually  known. 

Cigarette  smoking  by  women  of  the  underworld  is 
almost  universal,  and  next  perhaps  come  chorus  girls 
and  vaudeville  performers.  The  matter  of  girls  smok- 
ing upon  the  vaudeville  stage  should  be  regarded  as  a 
public  menace,  especially  in  view  of  the  popularity 
of  this  type  of  amusement.  It  is  true,  of  course, 
that  in  many  of  the  better  playhouses  girls  are 
not  permitted  to  smoke  before  the  public. 

Aside,  however,  from  the  unwholesome  ex- 
ample of  these  women  and  their  influence  upon  many 
of  the  less  substantial  girls  of  the  audience,  marked 
injury  is  arising  from  another  direction.  The  nature 
and  popularity  of  vaudeville  "stunts"  induce  adventur- 
ous young  women  in  almost  every  community  to  join 
the  "circuit",  who  after  completing  their  contracts  ordi- 
narily return  home.  It  is  impossible  even  to  approxi- 
mate  the  percentage   of   such   girls,   who   acquire   the 


256  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

cigarette  habit,  and  who  subsequently  introduce  it  into 
their  circles  of  girl  friends,  but  observation  seems  to 
point  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  alarmingly  large. 

The  mentioning  of  this  condition  is  not  intended  to 
cast  any  aspersion  upon  the  higher  type  of  women,  of 
whom  there  are  at  present  many  upon  the  vaudeville 
stage.  On  the  other  hand  it  is  hardly  necessary  to 
state  that  this  type  of  pubilc  entertainment  is  furnish- 
ing almost  unparalleled  opportunity  for  the  ready 
moral  destruction  of  giddy  girls  seeking  adventure. 

Recent  evidence  is  pointing  very  unexpectedly  to 
certain  American  colleges  and  universities  as  almost 
veritable  hotbeds  for  the  development  of  the  smoking 
habit  among  girls.  It  seems  to  be  particularly  preva- 
lent at  institutions  catering  to  students  of  the  wealthier 
class.  It  is  regrettably  true  that  among  such  students 
scholarship  is  altogether  too  commonly  subordinated 
to  pleasure  and  self-indulgence. 

It  would  seem  that  educational  institutions  would 
be  the  last  places  at  which  such  a  pernicious  soul-de- 
stroying habit  could  be  acquired.  Education  is  de- 
signed for  the  training  of  individuals  to  live  nobler 
lives.  But  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  such  insti- 
tutions cannot  mould  men  and  women  of  high  ideals 
from  all  of  the  material  that  at  the  present  time  is  be- 
ing sent  them.  In  this  day  of  popular  education  an  al- 
together too  large  percentage  of  those  in  attendance 
are  there  largely  for  the  purpose  of  having  a  "good 
time".  It  is  from  such  students  that  institutions  re- 
ceive their  principal  annoyance  and  among  such  that 
objectionable  habits  commonly  arise.     Within  the  so- 


WOMEN  AS  AFFECTED  BY  TOBACCO.  257 

rial  class  of  students  at  colleges  and  universities  ciga- 
rette smoking  by  men  is  becoming  practically  universal, 
and  unfortunately  certain  types  of  girls  when  away 
from  the  restraints  of  home  are  beginning  to  follow 
the  example. 

But  even  more  serious  than  all  this  is  the  glib 
familiarity  in  which  almost  every  class  of  people  is 
coming  to  speak  of  cigarette  smoking.  Within  the  last 
few  years  the  consumption  of  this  particular  form  of 
tobacco  has  increased  enormously;  this  condition  has 
not  been  brought  about  at  the  expense  of  other  forms 
of  smoking,  for  during  the  same  period  they  have  also 
more  than  held  their  own.  Cigarettes  are  now  being 
used  by  old  and  young  alike.  The  air  of  the  city 
streets  is  everywhere  befouled  with  their  odor.  They 
are  used  in  concert  halls  and  public  eating"  places. 
Even  the  sanctity  of  the  home  is  invaded,  where  they 
are  used  both  after  the  meal  and  between  courses.  No 
place  seems  to  be  too  sacred  for  their  entrance,  and  no 
people  too  rich  or  too  poor  for  their  consumption. 

Wherever  young  women  go  they  are  enshrouded 
in  the  fumes  of  cigarette  smoke  and  drawm  into  con- 
versations dealing  with  the  merits  of  various  brands. 
Cigarettes  are  as  familiar  in  almost  every  class  of  soci- 
ety as  the  air  that  is  breathed.  And  unfortunately 
familiarity  with  them  is  destroying  their  repugnance 
and  putting  in  its  place  a  fearless  intimacy. 

Several  years  ago  tobacco  manufacturers  began  a 
very  carefully  outlined  campaign  of  advertising,  de- 
signed to  familiarize  the  American  people  with  this 
article.      The   great   extent    and    variety   of    ways    in 


258  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

which  this  campaign  was  conducted  can  perhaps  be 
partially  imagined  when  it  is  recalled  that  a  single 
company  recently  spent  more  than  five  and  one-half 
million  dollars  for  this  purpose.  Of  late  years  to- 
bacco manufacturers  are  scattering  broadcast  adver- 
tisements in  which  young  women  themselves  are  either 
smoking  or  are  enjoying  the  company  of  their  smok- 
ing companions.  The  day  of  advertising  smokers  as 
withdrawing  from  the  presence  of  ladies  while  in- 
dulging is  no  longer  with  us.  One  can  scarcely  pass 
a  billboard  or  pick  up  a  popular  magazine  without  see- 
ing the  picture  of  a  woman  in  some  way  associated 
with  the  use  of  cigarettes. 

Another  source  of  increasing  danger  is  the  practice 
of  certain  supposedly  respectable  magazines  of  printing- 
stories  in  which  the  heroines  are  represented  as  smok- 
ing cigarettes.  If  the  stories  were  written  true  to 
nature  and  the  heroines  were  shown  in  all  their  crudi- 
ties, surrounded  by  their  retinues  of  uncultured  and 
commonly  immoral  companions,  it  would  constitute 
no  encouragement  to  respectable  young  women.  But 
on  the  other  hand,  the  heroine  is  pictured  as  the  es- 
sence of  refinement  and  culture,  respected  in  society 
and  loved  by  everyone.  This  class  of  advertising  is 
much  more  effective  in  introducing  tobacco  into  the 
lives  of  young  women  than  all  the  combined  straight- 
forward announcements  of  billboards  and  street  cars 
combined.  Any  magazine  that  will  tolerate  a  story  in 
which  supposedly  respectable  women  use  tobacco  should 
be  eliminated  from  the  home  as  an  enemy  of  all  that 
stands  for  American  womanhood. 


WOMEN  AS  AFFECTED  BY  TOBACCO.  259 

All  this  far-sighted  advertising  is  having  its  weight. 
The  object  of  not  only  making  women  familiar  with 
cigarettes,  but  of  destroying  their  antipathy  for  such 
is  already  pretty  generally  accomplished.  We,  of 
course,  are  speaking  only  in  general  terms,  for  there 
are  many  splendid  women  who  are  throwing  the  full 
weight  of  their  influence  against  the  advance  of  this 
calamity,  but  in  the  main  this  strenuous  advertising 
has  accomplished  wonders  in  modifying  public  senti- 
ment. There  can  be  no  doubt  that  women  today  are 
quite  generally  opposed  to  the  tobacco  habit,  yet  it  is 
none-the-less  true  that  their  opposition  is  far  less 
vigorous  than  a  few  years  ago. 

Young  women  of  the  present  generation  are  neces- 
sarily almost  as  familiar  wtih  the  various  brands  of 
cigarettes  as  are  young  men,  for  the  names  are  con- 
stantly before  them  in  magazines,  in  street  cars  and  on 
public  billboards.  Added  to  this  is  the  almost  uni- 
versal practice  of  young  men  smoking  whenever  and 
wherever  they  choose,  a  condition  for  which  the  young 
women  are  at  least  partially  responsible.  The  unfor- 
tunate feature  of  the  whole  situation  is  that  the  famil- 
iarity is  begetting  carelessness,  and  unless  offset  by 
vigorous  means,  cannot  but  result  seriously.  If  per- 
mitted to  go  on  for  another  decade  without  resistance. 
one  can  scarcely  tell  where  the  calamity  will  end.  The 
fact  that  already  a  considerable  number  of  girls  in 
various  classes  of  so-called  respectable  society  have  ac- 
quired the  cigarette  habit  does  not  argue  altogether  too 
favorably  for  the  future.  Any  organization  designed 
to  combat  this  evil  will  do  well  not  to  under-estimate 


260  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

the  strength  of  the  enemy  which  has  behind  it  not 
only  unlimited  wealth  but  the  courted  indifference  of 
a  large  part  of  the  American  people. 

The  Attitude  of  Girls  Toward  Smokers. — Even 
if  a  young  woman  should  admit  that  tobacco 
smoke  is  not  offensive  to  her,  no  young  man  who 
has  due  respect  for  the  sex  of  his  mother  would 
permit  himself  to  indulge.  Every  young  man  who 
smokes  knows  that  the  habit  if  offensive.  It 
is  a  regretable  fact  that  the  use  of  tobacco  seems  to 
destroy  respect  for  others,  even  for  mothers  and  sweet- 
hearts. Condemnation  can  scarcely  be  too  severe  for 
young- men,  who,  with  or  without  permission,  smoke  in 
the  presence  of  women.  Andrew  Carnegie  said  that 
he  had  always  admired  the  attitude  of  the  young  lady 
who  when  asked  if  she  objected  to  gentlemen  smok- 
ing in  her  presence  replied  that  she  did  not  know,  no 
gentleman  had  ever  tried. 

Young  women  will  do  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  just 
the  instant  they  permit  smoking  in  their  presence  they 
reduce  themselves  in  the  estimation  of  their  young 
men  companions.  Young  men  admire  girls  who  de- 
mand high  standards.  And  in  no  case  do  they  admire 
girls  who  are  willing  to  submit  to  the  fumes  of  a  prac- 
tice which  the  young  men  themselves  know  to  be  a 
filthy  one.  Admiration  arises  from  a  high  regard  for 
commendable  qualities  in  others,  and  the  instant  these 
qualities  are  impaired  just  to  that  extent  is  admiration 
lost.  Young  men  admire  young  women  because  of 
certain  superior  qualities,  and,  in  consequence,  any  sac- 
rifice of  these  qualities  to  the  useless  habits  of  others  re- 


WOMEN  AS  AFFECTED  BY  TOBACCO.  261 

suits  at  once  in  the  loss  of  that  admiration.  No  young 
woman  should  make  the  mistake  of  believing  that  she 
is  encouraging  the  regard  of  any  young'  man  by  per- 
mitting" him  to  smoke  in  her  presence. 

It  is  probably  true  that  certain  classes  of  young  men 
prefer  being  in  the  presence  of  girls  who  are  willing  to 
permit  all  sorts  of  indulgences  and  familiarities,  but  it 
is  equally  true  that  worthy  young  men  are  willing 
to  make  personal  sacrifices  for  the  young  women  they 
love. 

The  important  point  to  bear  in  mind,  however,  is 
that  young  women  can  exert  a  powerful  influence  for 
good  upon  their  young  men  companions,  and  that  any 
failure  on  their  part  to  do  s.o  may  result  in  future  un- 
happiness.  Untold  numbers  of  young  men  have  been 
made  better  because  of  their  high  regard  for  young- 
ladies,  whose  attitude  on  matters  of  right  and  wrong 
were  absolutely  uncompromising.  Girls  for  their  own 
sake,  for  the  sake  of  the  men  thev  expect  to  marry, 
and  for  the  sake  of  the  family  that  is  to  follow,  should 
demand  right  living  in  all  matters  touching  habits  and 
morals. 

Again,  no  justication  for  the  young  man  is  thought 
of  in  the  statement  that  young  women  often  encourage 
the  practice  of  smoking.  But  it  is  none-the-less  true 
that  women  not  infrequently  directly  encourage  their 
husbands  or  sweethearts  in  this  objectionable  practice. 
It  is  by  no  means  an  uncommon  occurrence  for  certain 
women  to  present  their  husbands  with  cigars,  smoking 
gowns,  humidors,  pipes,  and  other  accessories,  or  for 
young  ladies  to  present  their  fiances  with  boxes  of  the 


262  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

finest  imported  cigarettes.  Girls  altogether  too  gener- 
ally have  come  to  regard  smoking  as  a  kind  of  accom- 
plishment, and  in  an  unmistakable  manner  so  conduct 
themselves.  In  public  eating  halls  one  can  commonly 
see  young  women  holding  the  lighted  match  for  their 
companions'  cigarettes,  or  fondly  admiring  the  cases 
in  which  they  are  carried.  Then  again,  there  can  be  no 
question  that  some  girls  so  place  themselves  that  the 
smoke  from  their  companions'  cigarettes  must  pass  in 
full  force  toward  them.  One  does  not  need  to  walk 
many  blocks  in  any  American  city  to  see  girls  who 
seem  to  be  enjoying  the  smoke  from  their  escorts'  lips 
fully  as  much  as  do  the  young  men  who  are  smoking. 
While  actions  of  this  kind  constitute  no  excuse  on  the 
part  of  young  men,  yet  there  can  be  no  question  as  to 
the  encouragement  which  they  derive  from  such. 

The  Future  Home  and  Children. — One  can 
scarcely  imagine  that  a  young  lady  who  will  en- 
courage or  even  permit  a  young  man  to  smoke  in  her 
presence,  has  any  adequate  conception  of  the  serious- 
ness of  the  tobacco  habit.  Girls  should  not  comfort 
themselves  with  the  hope  that  their  companions  will 
abandon  the  practice  after  marriage;  on  the  other  band. 
there  is  grave  danger  that  even  those  who  have  dis- 
continued its  use  before  marriage  will  later  return  to  it, 
for  when  once  the  use  of  tobacco  has  been  fully  ac- 
quired it  is  permanently  discontinued  only  with  great 
difficulty. 

Smoking  in  a  family  means  many  tilings  other  than 
the  mere  act  of  burning  tobacco.  In  the  first  place 
it  means  the  befouling  of  the  husband's  person.     There 


\\  (  m  EN  AS  AFFECTED  BY  TOBACCO.  263 

is  no  reason  that  men's  bodies  should  not  be  just  as 
sweet  and  unpolluted  as  those  of  their  wives.  No  man 
who  comes  home  with  tobacco-scented  lips  and  breath 
can  hope  to  retain  the  unstinted  caresses  of  his  wife. 
Regardless  of  the  fact  that  she  at  first  may  love  him 
implicitly,  his  unclean  body  will  gradually  alienate  her 
from  the  home-coming  kiss,  and  many  of  the  finer 
things  which  make  up  married  life. 

And  next  perhaps  to  the  unclean  body  comes  the 
impairment  of  the  social  sense.  The  habit  .of  smoking 
naturally  leads  men  away  from  their  wives  and  homes. 
While  at  home  men  of  course  commonly  smoke  in  the 
presence  of  their  wives  or  wherever  they  choose,  but 
the  habit  itself  calls  for  attendance  at  "smokers"  and 
other  places  where  associated  practices  are  indulged  in. 
If  there  is  any  question  in  the  mind  of  any  woman  as 
to  whether  her  husband  thinks  more  of  his  tobacco 
or  of  her  company,  she  need  only  go  with  him  for  a 
day's  trip  on  a  railroad  or  steamer.  The  average  hus- 
band will  remain  away  from  his  wife  for  hours  at  a 
time  rather  than  dispense  with  his  usual  cigars.  And 
still  there  are  some  people  who  will  argue  that  tobacco 
in  no  way  modifies  home  life. 

Then  again  tobacco  is  known  to  reduce  both  mental 
and  physical  efficiency.  During  recent  years  of  in- 
creased competition,  men  are  succeeding  or  failing  on 
very  narrow  margins.  Business  men  are  everywhere 
under  the  necessity  of  eliminating  unnecessary  losses 
and  of  dismissing  employees  who  show  elements  of  in- 
competency. There  was  never  a  time  when  small 
margins  of  superiority  and  inferiority  counted  for  so 


264  TOBACCO  AND    HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

much.  Large  numbers  of  the  most  progressive  busi- 
ness concerns  are  already  refusing  to  employ  men  who 
smoke  cigarettes.  It  is  a  well  recognized  fact  that  ciga- 
rette smokers  make  poor  providers.  While  riches  are 
by  no  means  essential  to  happiness,  yet  poverty  very 
commonly  brings  on  the  reverse. 

From  quite  another  point  of  view  the  use  of  tobacco 
in  the  home  is  conducive  of  sorrow.  Physicians  every- 
where regard  smokers  as  much  more  liable  to  the  at- 
tacks of  disease  than  are  non-smokers,  and  also  that 
they  are  far  less  capable  of  presenting  sufficient  resist- 
ance to  overcome  it.  Life  insurance  companies  already 
regard  heavy  smokers  as  undesirable  risks. 

If  no  one  were  affected  by  the  smoking  except  the 
husband  and  wife,  the  matter  might  not  be  considered 
quite  so  serious,  but  the  influence  of  the  tobacco  smoker 
reaches  every  member  of  his  family.  While  it  is  likely 
true  that  specific  diseases  are  not  capable  of  being  trans- 
mitted to  the  children,  yet  the  consensus  of  opinion 
among  high  medical  authorities  is  that  children  may 
readily  inherit  predisposition  to  disease.  It  would  not 
be  overstating  matters  to  say  that  every  prospective 
wife  owes  it  to  her  children  to  ask  herself  whether  they 
shall  be  well  born.  It  certainly  is  apparent  that  if  Deity 
requires  of  parents  any  one  thing  more  than  another, 
it  is  that  children  shall  come  into  the  world  with  healthy 
bodies  and  minds.  Just  how  a  parent  can  justify  him- 
self in  imposing  weaknesses  upon  unborn  babes  is  im- 
possible to  understand.  Mothers  who  are  willing  to 
sacrifice  their  lives  for  (heir  children  ought  to  see  to  it 
that  their  husbands  are  men  who  are  willing  to  sac- 


WOMEN  AS  AFFECTED  BY  TOBACCO.  265 

rifice  all  habits  that  may  contrbute  to  weakness  and 
consequent  disease  among  their  children. 

Then  again,  the  mere  act  of  smoking  in  the  presence 
of  children  is  now  regarded  as  responsible  for  the  be- 
ginning of  a  long  line  of  ailments.  It  requires  no  ex- 
ertion of  the  intellect  to  understand  that  a  child  will 
be  directly  injured  by  its  father's  smoking.  Science 
has  recently  shown  that  even  mature  men  suffer  when 
subjected  to  the  f nines  of  tobacco.  There  seems  to  be 
no  question  that  various  diseases,  including  nervous- 
ness, heart  trouble,  lung  trouble,  stomach  trouble  and 
even  tuberculosis  may  be  imposed  upon  children 
through  being  shut  up  in  the  befouled,  stuffy,  smoky 
rooms  of  their  fathers'  homes.  And  further,  no 
mother  need  expect  that  a  smoking  father  will  not  be 
followed  by  smoking  children. 

It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  before  any  girl  should 
marry  a  man  who  smokes,  especially  an  inveterate  'user 
of  cigarettes,  she  should  count  well  the  cost  and  be 
willing  to  make  the  sacrifice.  She  should  keep  well  in 
mind  that  not  only  her  own  personal  rights  must  be 
surrendered,  but  that  even  the  health  and  lives  of  her 
offspring  will  be  jeopardized.  It  scarcely  seems  possi- 
ble that  intelligent  women  would  be  willing  to  plunge 
themselves  and  their  progeny  into  such  a  peril. 

The  picture  is  not  over-painted.  It  is  the  story  of 
the  average  family  descended  from  a  cigarette  smoking 
father  who  acquired  the  habit  in  youth  or  early  man- 
hood. Such  mothers  and  such  families  can  be  seen  in 
every  city  and  hamlet  in  America.  Many  of  the  ema- 
ciated and  disheartened  mothers  of  these  families  were 


266  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

once  the  most  light-hearted  and  attractive  girls  of  the 
neighborhood.  The  writer  can  count  among  his  own 
acquaintances  more  than  half  a  dozen  promising  young 
women  who  chose  to  marry  cigarette  smokers,  not  one 
of  whom  could  now  be  regarded  as  happy,  and  most 
of  whom  are  decidedly  unhappy. 

Strangely  enough,  since  the  last  preceding  sentence 
was  written  a  telephone  call  has  been  received  from  a 
young  woman  whom  the  present  writer  several  years 
ago  came  to  know  through  frequent  visits  at  an  out  of 
town  hospital.  Her  message  was  not  an  unusual  one, 
but  one  that  carries  with  it  a  lesson  that  every  girl 
should  have  seared  into  her  memory.  Since  her  mar- 
riage of  some  six  years  ago  she  and  her  husband  had 
been  living  an  unhappy  life,  and  recently  she  had  come 
into  the  city  with  her  three  small  children  seeking  em- 
ployment. A  girl  who  seven  years  ago  was  a  com- 
petertf  hospital  nurse  had  now  called  to  see  if  an  old 
acquaintance  could  find  her  some  kind  of  employment 
in  which  her  children  would  not  be  too  much  in  the 
way.  She  announced  her  willingness  to  do  any  sort 
of  work  at  which  she  could  earn  enough  to  take  care  of 
herself  and  her  family  of  babies. 

While  in  this  case  tobacco  may  not  have  been  the 
immediate  cause  of  the  trouble,  yet  there  can  be  no 
question  that  it  was  a  strongly  contributive  factor. 
The  young  man  smoked  while  courting  the  young  lady, 
bul  did  not  seem  to  be  willing  to  give  it  up — as  a  matter 
of  fact  he  may  never  have  been  asked  to  do  so.  After 
marriage  smoking  became  associated  with  drinking  and 
both  with  immorality.     The  reader  must  not  interpret 


WOMEN  AS  AFFECTED  BY  TOBACCO.  267 

these  statements  as  meaning  that  cigarettes  are  wholly 
responsible  for  the  grosser  vices,  yet  it  should  be  borne 
in  mind  that  those  who  use  tobacco  are  much  more 
naturally  drawn'  into  poolrooms,  saloons  and  similar 
places  than  are  non-smokers.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  non- 
smokers  are  always  ill  at  ease  in  such  places  if  for  no 
other  reason  than  the  ever  present  fumes  of  tobacco. 
A  man's  attitude  toward  tobacco  pre-determines  to  a 
remarkable  extent  the  kind  of  company  which  he  will 
seek.  In  many  cases  liquor  follows  tobacco  almost  as 
surely  as  one's  presence  in  a  smoking  car  is  followed 
by  tobacco-scented  clothes.  Abstinence  from  tobacco, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  almost  never  known  to  be  asso- 
ciated with  indulgence  in  alcoholic  beverages. 

Marriage,  undoubtedly  the  most  important  step  in 
the  life  of  any  individual,  is  often  entered  with  but  little 
thought  of  what  it  may  bring.  Girls,  who  in  matters 
of  dress,  education,  business,  and  even  homekeeping, 
exercise  commendable  wisdom,  not  infrequently  accept 
life  companions  with  no  apparent  thought  of  future 
probabilities.  The  average  girl  who  becomes  enamored 
by  certain  qualities  in  young  men  will  proceed  in  a 
determined  direction  regardless  of  the  advice  of  her 
best  friends.  Young  women  should  rise  to  the  exer- 
cise of  that  God-given  quality  which  stands  for  higher 
and  nobler  lives.  They  should  keep  well  in  mind  that 
their  womanly  virtues  when  properly  used  will  act  as 
mighty  forces  in  impelling  men  to  overcome  undesir- 
able habits.  Happiness  is  the  inalienable  right  of  all 
self-respecting  women,  but  without  intelligent  medita- 
tion on  their  own  parts  it  is  likely  to  be  seriously 
jeopardized. 


XXII 

TOBACCO  AND  SPIRITUALITY 

The  use  of  tobacco  strikes  a  telling  blow  at  higher 
Christian  ideals.  The  development  of  spirituality  is 
based  upon  compliance  with  law  just  as  fully  and  as 
naturally  as  is  that  of  any  other  aspect  of  the  human 
intellect.  Strong  spirituality  does  not  come  as  the 
result  of  a  day's  right  living,  nor  is  it  born  of  improper 
thoughts.  It  is  the  outgrowth  only  of  continuous  ex- 
perience, and  is  inseparably  connected  with  proper  liv- 
ing. 

The  promptings  of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  not  always 
easily  understood,  especially  by  inexperienced  individ- 
uals. As  a  matter  of  fact,  believers  who  pray  for  guid- 
ance are  frequently  unable  to  interpret  the  answer  when 
it  comes.  They  are  not  unlike  average  individuals  who 
listen  to  the  clicking  of  the  receiver  in  a  telegraph 
office;  they  are  aware  that  a  message  is  being  received 
but  of  its  meaning  the)-  are  ignortantly  uncertain.  Tt 
should  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  the  promptings 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  come  in  positive  terms,  but  that 
they  are  not  easily  understood  by  the  inexperienced. 

Notwithstanding  the  teachings  commonly  advanced 
by  Christians,  it  would  be  no  more  unreasonable  to 
expect  that  an  average  man  of  the  streets  could  prop- 
erly interpret  messages  received  at  a  Marconi  station 
than  that  the  same  man  could  similarly  interpret  the 


TOBACCO    AND    SPIRITUALITY.  2f>o 

promptings  of  the  Spirit  of  ( rod.  The  wireless  operator 
becomes  efficient  only  through  long  study  and  prac- 
tice. Attention  to  minutest  details  is  inseparably  con- 
nected with  his  training,  and  it  is  only  after  long-  ex- 
perience that  he  can  safely  distinguish  the  niceties  of 
the  various  messages  transmitted  to  him. 

And  so  it  is  with  those  who  seek  Divine  guidance 
and  who  continuously  and  intelligently  work  toward 
the  goal  of  higher  ideals.  The  messages  which  at  first 
may  seem  to  be-  uncertain  and  indiscernable  are  grad- 
ually interpreted  with  absolute  certainty. 

Christians  as  a  whole  are  open  to  severe  criticism  for 
the  responsibility  that  they  attempt  to  place  upon  Deity. 
They  seem  to  think  that  after  they  themselves  have 
once  confessed  their  sins  and  have  sought  Divine  favor 
that  thenceforth  the  responsibility  of  their  salvation 
rests  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  Master.  They  attempt 
to  magnify  the  saving  grace  of  God  and  to  minimize 
the  necessity  of  personal  sacrifice.  It  is  altogether  too 
commonly  held  by  Christians  that  penitents,  who  have 
signified  a  willingness  to  believe  in  Deity,  can  at  once 
demand  the  full  secrets  of  heaven.  Entrance  into  the 
church  organization  seems  to  be  regarded  as  assurance 
of  salvation.  Such  an  attitude  is  as  wholly  unjustified 
as  that  registration  in  an  educational  institution  guar- 
antees graduation. 

In  the  Church  of  God,  as  in  the  school  of  science, 
the  "entrance  requirements"  and  formalities  attending 
"registration"  form  a  necessary  and  indispensable  part 
of  the  work,  but  in  either  case  these  first  steps  must  be 
followed  by  close  attention  to  detail,  the  closer  and  the 


270  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

longer  the  attention  the  more  satisfactory  will  be  the 
results. 

Entrance  into  the  Church  of  Gocl,  therefore,  forms 
but  the  preliminary  step  to  a  life  of  continuous  ac- 
tivity, and  the  degree  of  salvation  that  follows  will 
depend  primarily  upon  the  faithfulness  of  the  indi- 
vidual. No  Christian  is  justified  in  believing 
that  he  can  knowingly  and  willfully  violate  even  the 
slightest  of  God's  laws  and  be  held  blameless  for  such 
violation.  Deity  can  have  little  regard  for  the  loafer 
and  the  one  who  insists  upon  the  gratification  of  per- 
verted appetites.  God's  laws  are  just,  and,  in  conse- 
quence, are  applicable  to  all  alike. 

The  gifts  of  God  canont  he  purchased  with  money; 
neither  do  they  follow  in  the  path  of  indolence  and  self- 
indulgence.  They  can  be  fostered  and  developed  only 
by  life-long  lives  of  usefulness  and  progression.  They 
come  to  the  poor  and  the  rich  alike,  and  then  only  as  the 
result  of  righteous  living. 

Spirituality  is  not  in  tune  with  the  grosser  things 
of  life.  The  influence  of  the  Eternal  is  not  recognized 
by  the  undeveloped  carnal  mind.  Just  as  electric 
waves  from  the  wireless  transmitter  may  pass  by  with- 
out being  detected  so  may  the  whisperings  of  the 
Spirit  of  Deity.  Ages  elapsed  before  even  the  most 
highly  trained  specialists  succeeded  in,  or  even  thought 
of,  transmitting  messages  by  means  of  electrical  cur- 
rents in  the  air.  But  of  recent  years  it  has  been  demon- 
strated that  such  currents  do  exist  and  that  by  means 
of  highly  specialized  instruments  they  can  be  utilized 
f'  ir  the  conveyance  of  human  thought. 


TOBACCO    AND    SPIRITUALITY.  271 

Certainly  no  one  is  justified  in  believing  that  he  can 
get  in  tune  with  the  Infinite  more  easily  than  he  can 
with  the  material  things  about  him.  It  seems  to  be  an 
external  law  that  the  finer  and  nicer  things  of  life  are 
understood  only  as  the  result  of  intense  and  accurate 
study.  No  one  expects  the  careless  man  of  the  streets 
to  be  able  to  explain  the  complicated  details  of  say 
X-ray  photography,  the  understanding  of  which  lias 
cost  the  specialist  years  of  application.  It  is  a  basic 
law  of  all  educational  work  that  the  individual  must 
submit  himself  to  the  rigorous  consideration  of  a  long 
line  of  fundamentals  before  he  is  able  even  to  ap- 
proach his  ambitions. 

Every  progressive  Christian,  whether  a  new  convert 
or  one  of  long  standing,  constantly  keeps  before  him- 
self the  task  of  eliminating  deterring  factors.  One  of 
the  first  things  that  the  true  Christian  learns  is  that 
big  things  do  not  exist  except  as  they  are  made  up  of 
little  things.  His  life  is  characteried  by  constant  over- 
coming. He  does  not  hope  to  swring  into  Divine  favor 
by  a  single  act  of  heroism,  nor  does  he  lean  too  heavily 
on  the  popular  Christian  belief  that  death  will  free 
man  from  his  sins  and  his  sinful  inclinations.  He  re- 
gards his  duty  as  two-fold,  first,  to  find  out  the  laws  of 
God,  and,  second,  to  obey  them. 

The  human  body,  next  to  the  human  spirit,  is  with- 
out doubt  the  master  work  of  Deity,  and  when  it  is 
co  regarded,  no  Christian  will  permit  himself  to  con- 
taminate  or  otherwise  abuse  it.  A  vandal  who  enters 
an  art  gallery  and  besmirches  beautiful  paintings  is 
looked  upon  as  an  enemy  to  civilization  and  punished 


272  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

accordingly  .  Yet  even  among  Christian  leaders  there 
are  man}'  who  knowingly,  if  not  wilfully,  submit  their 
bodies  to  all  sorts  of  abuses  and  in  perhaps  the  same 
breath  ask  the  benediction  of  Deity  upon  their  lives. 
It  is  not  too  much  to  expect  that  the  Christian  who 
believes  in  the  fatherhood  of  God  will  instinctively  re- 
spect the  sacredness  of  his  own  body. 

The  nse  of  tobacco  and  even  alcoholic  beverages 
among  Christians  is  by  no  means  unusual.  Such  acts 
are  offensive  to  Deity,  not  only  because  they  desecrate 
the  works  of  His  hands,  but  because  they  are  actually 
repugnant  to  Him.  No  one  would  expect  to  retain 
the  good  will  of  a  friend  after  persistently  and  know 
ingly  desecrating  his  gifts.  In  order  to  make  this  mat- 
ter clear  one  need  only  imagine  the  feelings  of  a  gen- 
erous philanthropist  upon  visiting  a  mansion  that  he 
had  given  to  a  friend,  to  find  its  most  delicate  parts 
marred  and  torn  and  its  rooms  filled  with  foul  and  of- 
fensive odors.  An  invitation  to  remain  at  such  a  place 
would  certainly  not  be  met  with  much  enthusiasm.    ■ 

Christians  who  desecrate  their  bodies  commit  far 
more  serious  offense  than  this.  Their  bodies  are  much 
more  delicate  and  perfect  than  costly  mansions,  and 
the  Spirit  of  Cod  is  incomparably  more  sensitive  than 
is  that  of  the  philanthropist.  Yet  they  knowingly  per- 
sist in  befouling  their  bodies  and  are  simple  enough 
to  believe  that  Deity  will  send  His  spirit  to  dwell 
therein  if  they  but  ask  Him  to  do  so  Tt  should  not  be 
difficult  for  Christians  to  understand  that  the  Spirit  of 
Cod  will  not  dwell  in  unholy  tabernacles. 

Tt  is  of  course  known   that  under  press  of  circum- 


TOBACCO    AND    SPIRITUALITY.  273 

stances  the  Spirit  of  God  may  visit  and  work  upon 
unclean  persons.  So  do  health  officers  and  others  en- 
gaged in  tasks  of  reform,  This  sporadic  visitation, 
however,  cannot  be  regarded  as  companionship.  The 
true  Christian,  by  virtue  of  his  right  living,  should  be 
able  not  only  to  invite  but  to  claim  companionship 
with  the  Spirit  of  God. 

Then  again,  the  use  of  tobacco  strikes  directly  at  the 
development  of  spirituality  through  its  depressant  ef- 
fects upon  the  brain.  Tobacco  first  .of  all  attacks  the 
higher  qualities  of  man,  and  because  of  this  action  its 
use  by  those  seeking  the  higher  life  is  particularly 
harmful.  It  would  be  fully  as  consistent  for  a  student 
to  take  a  depressant  before  approaching  a  problem  say 
in  metaphysics,  or  a  switchman  some  irritant  before 
going  to  his  post  .of  duty,  as  it  would  for  a  Christian 
to  benumb  his  soul  by  the  use  of  tobacco.  It  will  be  re- 
called that  one  of  the  chief  claims  made  for  tobacco 
even  by  its  advocates  is  that  it  soothes  the  mind  and 
banishes  care. 

The  spirit  of  modern  times  is  the  spirit  of  efficiency. 
In  every  phase  of  commercial  and  educational  activity 
deterring  factors  are  being  sought  out  and  eliminated. 
Investigators  are  very  generally  coming  to  believe  that 
even  in  the  grosser  things  of  life  the  use  of  tobacco 
is  detrimental  to  higher  standards.  What  then  should 
be  said  of  its  effect  upon  man's  spirituality,  which  is 
confessedly  the  most  delicate  and  refined  aspect  of  the 
human  being?  If  a  narcotized  mind  is  impaired  for 
work  in  solving  mathematical  problems,  in  making 
automobiles   and    in    quarrying   stone,    then    certainly 


274  TOBACCO   AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

there  can  be  no  question  of  its  deleterious  effect  on 
man's  spirituality. 

The  censure  contained  in  the  following"  paragraphs 
is  intended  primarily  tor  Christian  leaders  and  others 
who  profess  to  be  living  the  higher  life,  and  not  for 
unbelievers. 

That  the  use  of  tobacco  constitutes  a  serious  in- 
fraction of  the  laws  of  nature,  and  therefore  of  the 
laws  of  God,  there  can  be  no  question.  Individuals 
who  wilfully  violate  law  render  themselves  particularly 
liable  to  condemnation.  It  is  common  knowledge  that 
in  civil  courts  wilful  acts  are  regarded  as  far  more 
serious  than  those  committed  in  ignorance.  Justice 
would  seem  to  demand  that  God  will  be  more  lenient 
with  those  who  err  ignorantly  than  those  who 
knowingly  sin.  There  can  be  no  question  that  those 
who  unknowingly  violate  the  laws  of  God  stand  in  far 
better  position  to  receive  Divine  favor  than  do  wilful 
transgressors.  Preachers,  teachers  and  laymen  alike, 
who  have  grasped  the  g-enius  of  Christianity,  know  full 
well  that  Deity  does  not  countenance  violation  of  law 
even  in  the  slightest  degree.  They  also  know  that  vio- 
lation will  be  followed  by  just  compensation. 

In  the  face  of  such  knowledge,  wilful,  violation  con- 
stitutes almost  a  challenge  of  the  supremacy  of  God. 
or  if  not,  it  places  the  violator  in  a  position  where  he 
knows  that  he  will  sooner  or  later  be  confronted  with 
his  wrongdoings.  Repetition  of  the  particular  offense 
forces  upon  him  the  conviction  that  he  has  but  little 
claim  upon  Divine  mercy,  and  with  each  repetition  his 
power  of  resistance  diminishes.     This  fear  of  punish- 


TOBACCO    AND    SPIRITUALITY.  275 

nieiu  and  inability  to  avoid  it  causes  the  great  majority 
of  transgressors  to  argue  against  the  justice  and  even 
the  existence  of  Divine  law,  and  to  seek  self  justifi- 
cation for  sins  committed. 

Spiritual  impairment  accompanying  the  use  of  to- 
bacco, therefore,  seems  to  be  the  result  primarily  of 
three  factors:  first,  the  actual  deadening  effect  of  to- 
bacco upon  the  finer  sensibilities  of  the  human  brain, 
second,  the  offensiveness  of  the  habit  to  the  Spirit 
of  God  3  and,  third,  the  knowledge  possessed  by  Chris- 
tian users  that  the  use  of  tobacco  constitutes  a  viola- 
tion of  the  laws  of  God. 

So  far  as  actual  observation  can  be  made,  the  most  se- 
rious results  undoubtedly  come  as  a  result  of  the  third. 
Progressive  companionship  with  the  Spirit  of  God  re- 
quires progressive  abandonment  of  sin,  based  upon  a 
determination  to  eliminate  deterring  factors  as  rapidly 
as  they  become  known.  The  earnest  Christian  cannot 
make  any  reservations  as  to  his  repentance  and  feel  that 
he  stands  wholly  right  with  God,  and  so  long  as  he 
feels  that  he  is  deceiving  God  or  his  brethren  he  him- 
self automatically  limits  his  own  progression.  Lack 
of  decision  to  abandon  even  slightly  perverted  appetites 
has  been  the  determining  factor  in  guilding  multi- 
tudes of  otherwise  well-meaning  men  away  from  com- 
panionship with  the  Spirit  of  God.  The  writer  in  his 
own  experience  knows  of  scores  of  men  who  have  per- 
mitted the  tobacco  habit  to  stand  between  them  and 
the  highest  enjoyment  known  to  man — close  com- 
munion  with  God  through  his  Holy  Spirit 


XXIII 

MARGINS   OF   SUCCESS   AND   FAILURE 

One  January  afternoon  while  engaged  in  writing  a 
preceding  section  the  writer  looked  from  the  window 
of  his  study  and  saw  a  fluffy,  red-breasted  robin  nest- 
ling close  in  a  corner  of  the  building  in  an  effort  to  pro- 
tect itself  against  the  cold  of  a  driving  storm.  Between 
the  more  violent  gusts  the  bird  flew  down  and  earnestly 
picked  away  at  a  fragment  of  bread  which  some  one 
had  thrown  into  the  snow.  The  children  of  the  house- 
hold, who  were  called  to  witness  the  industry  of  the 
tiny  creature,  did  not  see  nor  could  they  understand  the 
serious  meaning  of  the  situation.  They  saw  only  the 
bird  covered  with  a  warm  coat  of  feathers  and  the  cozy 
corner  into  which  it  could  retreat  when  the  storm  be- 
came more  violent. 

But  that  was  not  the  real  meaning.  To  the  bird  it 
was  a  matter  of  life  or  death.  Already  the  cold  of 
winter  and  the  accompanying  scarcity  of  food  had  re- 
duced the  body  of  the  creature  to  a  mere  shadow  of  its 
former  plumpness,  and  even  with  its  warm  covering 
of  feathers  it  was  having  serious  difficulty  in  keeping 
itself  from  freezing,  and,  therefore,  what  the  children 
looked  upon  as  pleasant  antics  of  the  bird  defying  the 
snow  and  wind  were  serious  efforts  to  offset  starvation 
and  death  through  cold. 

The  children  did  not  understand  that  the  beautiful 
creature  just  outside  the  window  had  but  one  chance 


MARGINS  OF  SUCCESS  AND   FAILURE.         277 

in  five  of  surviving  the  perils  of  winter.  They  did  not 
know  that  for  each  robin  that  lives  through  to  spring, 
four  others  succumb  to  cold,  starvation  and  disease. 
They  did  not  know  that  the  struggle  for  existence  was 
so  severe,  in  fact  they  did  not  know  that  the  bird  was 
having  any  struggle  at  all.  Yet  their  ignorance  made 
the  situation  none  the  less  serious.  Xext  morning  the 
stiff  body  of  a  robin  lying  at  the  steps  of  the  house 
gave  mute  evidence  of  the  night's  work. 

The  same  kind  of  struggle  is  going  on  everywhere. 
There  seems  to  be  a  universal  law  designed  to  place  a 
premium  upon  intelligence  and  other  ability  to  with- 
stand the  destructive  forces  of  nature.  There  can  be 
no  question  that  among  man  and  beast  those  who  suc- 
ceed in  life  are  those,  who.  in  the  main,  are  the  best 
prepared.  To  the  bird  this  preparation  may  consist  of 
a  slightly  superior  intelligence  or  a  slightly  more  robust 
body,  and  to  man  identically  the  same  factors  apply. 
It  is  quite  probable  that  if  the  robin  had  possessed  suf- 
ficient physical  resistance  to  have  lived  through  only 
one  more  night,  it  would  have  lived  through  the  winter. 
It  had  already  withstood  the  severest  storms  of  the 
season  and  apparently  lacked  but  a  little  more  energy 
to  carry  it  oxer  to  the  warmth  of  approaching  spring. 
Of  the  great  army  of  robins  that  are  annually  sub- 
jected to  the  attacks  of  disease  and  cold,  the  few  that 
survive  are  those  that  are  slightly  better  prepared  to 
overcome  than  are  their  unfortunate  companions. 

As  indicated  above,  the  robins,  nor  the  whole  bird 
family,  are  by  no  means  the  only  creatures  that  succeed 
or  fail  by  reason  of  the  presence  or  absence  of  slight 


278  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

superiority.  It  is  a  principle — nay  a  law — that 
applies  fully  as  well  to  man  as  to  bird.  Success  or 
failure,  whether  among  birds  or  mammoths,  barbarous 
or  civilized  men,  cannibals  or  Christians,  is  predeter- 
mined by  the  degree  of  preparedness  for  the  particular 
task  in  question.  It  is  equally  true  that  wherever  com- 
petition arises  successes  are  commonly  won  on  very 
small  margins.  The  more  intense  the  competition  the 
narrower  these  margins  become.  At  the  present  time 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  young  men  are  throwing 
the  full  strengih  of  their  vitality  and  ability  into  the 
educational  lines  of  their  choice,  and,  as  a  result,  pro- 
fessional fields  are  filled  with  excellent  men.  The  sup- 
ply, moreover,  is  usually  greater  than  the  demand,  and. 
in  consequence,  only  the  very  best  ones  will  succeed. 
Formerly,  however,  when  but  few  went  to  college  and 
when  the  whole  supply  was  eagerly  snatched  up,  prac- 
tically every  man.  whether  goxl  or  mediocre,  made 
more  or  less  success.  Today  competition  places  the 
laurels  upon  the  brow  of  superiority  even  if  the  supe- 
riority be  but  slight. 

In  the  matter  of  athletics,  training  is  bringing  about 
closer  and  closer  competition.  At  the  present  time 
the  world's  record  for  the  one  hundred  yard  dash  is 
held  by  Kelly  at  9  3-5  seconds.  There  are  literally 
hundreds  of  men  who  can  run  the  distance  in  ten  sec- 
onds. In  the  eyes  of  the  athletic  world,  however,  this 
group  i^  n  >1  considered  as  belonging  to  the  same  class 
as  the  champion,  yet  these  individuals  arc  but  four  per 
cent  behind  the  best.  Furthermore,  there  are  scores  of 
men  who  have  covered  the  one  hundred  wards  in  9  4-5 


MARGINS   OF  SUCCESS   AND   FAILURE.         279 

seconds,  but  who  have  never  been  able  to  reach  the 
championship  mark.  This  group  is  but  two  per  cent 
behind  the  best  and  is  still  regarded  as  distinctly  in- 
ferior. 

In  our  bigger  educational  institutions,  where  large 
numbers  of  men  are  "trying  out"  for  positions  on. the 
football  teams,  the  coaches  not  uncommonly  experience 
serious  difficulty  in  selecting  the  particular  men  to  make 
up  the  squad.  This  is  occasioned  primarily  by  the 
large  number  of  candidates  and  the  excellence  of  most 
of  the  men.  There  are,  of  course,  some  who  are  dis- 
missed at  once,  and  then  there  are  others  who  go  out 
upon  second  consideration.  The  chief  difficulty  is  en- 
countered, however,  in  selecting  the  final  squad.  The 
coach  may  have  under  consideration  the  choice  of  men 
for  the  position  of  fullback,  center,  end  or  what  not. 
He  tries  out  the  various  candidates  for  several  days  or 
even  weeks,  meanwhile  making  accurate  observation  of 
each  one's  ability.  Finally  men  are  selected  for  the 
various  positions,  not  because  of  their  being  vastly  bet- 
ter than  their  failing  competitors,  but  because  of  slight 
margins  of  superiority. 

The  greatest  single  copper  mine  in  the  world  is  lo- 
cated at  Bingham,  Utah.  The  ore  deposit  consists  of  a 
great  intrusion  of  "porphyry"  through  which  is  dis- 
seminated a  small  percentage  of  copper.  The  ore  is 
loaded  by  gigantic  steam  shovels  into  railroad  cars,  in 
which  it  is  hauled  in  trainload  lots  to  the  mills  near 
Garfield  smelters  some  twenty  miles  away.  Here  the 
ore  is  finely  crushed  and  passed  over  a  series  of  "tables" 
where  a  considerable  percentage  of  the  "gangue"  or 


28U  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

waste  material  is  washed  out.  The  efficiency  of  the 
"tables"  depends  upon  their  ability  to  get  rid  of  the 
greatest  amount  of  "gangue"  and  save  the  most  ore  at 
the  lowest  cost.  At  the  time  of  their  completion,  some 
ten  years  ago,  the  mills  were  regarded  as  probably  the 
most  efficient  ever  constructed.  Since  then  milling 
methods  have  improved,  but  only  by  short  steps. 
Throughout  the  ten  years  there  has  scarcely  been  a 
single  day  when  the  mills  have  not  been  undergoing 
improvement  by  replacement.  The  management  con- 
siders it  good  business  to  tear  out  costly  machines,  only 
to  throw  them  into  the  scrap  heap,  if  they  can  be  re- 
placed by  others  which  will  do  the  work  even  a  very 
few  per  cent  better.  Any  man  today  who  can  improve 
the  efficiency  of  these  mills  by  five  per  cent  has  before 
him  an  independent  fortune,  for  by  so  doing  he  would 
save  to  the  owners  several  thousands  of  dollars  per  day. 
Miners  and  millmen  are  not  looking  for  individuals 
who  are  many  times  more  efficient  than  their  present 
employees.  A  very  few  per  cent  superiority  is  suf- 
ficient to  guarantee  success. 

Life  insurance  companies  use  as  a  basis  for  the  com- 
putation of  premiums,  certain  expectancy  tables  derived 
through  long  experience  in  the  study  of  mortality. 
Through  a  desire  to  make  the  company  safe,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  policies  attractive,  the  officials  are  under 
the  necessity  of  computing  on  narrow  margins.  The 
force  of  this  statement  will  appear  when  it  is  recalled 
that  the  premiums  charged  by  various  companies  on 
similar  insurance  are  nearly  identical.  Now,  if  ex- 
perience should  prove  that  the  death   rate  of  human 


MARGINS  OF  SUCCESS  AND   FAILURE.         281 

beings  suddenly  and  permanently  increased  as  little  as 
five  per  cent,  the  integrity  of  practically  every  life  in- 
surance company  in  the  world  would  be  placed  in 
jeopardy.  Or  on  the  other  hand,  if  the  premiums  were 
unnecessarily  increased  by  five  per  cent  the  earnings  of 
the  companies  would  become  comparatively  great.  The 
point  of  value  here  is  that  insurance  companies,  dealing 
with  policies  mounting  into  millions,  balance  their  very 
existence,  and  that  safely,  upon  very  small  margins. 

The  banking  business  of  the  world  is  likewise  based 
upon  narrow  margins  of  safety.  Most  Western  Amer- 
ican banks  pay  four  per  cent  interest  on  time  deposits, 
and  charge  eight  per  cent  on  loans.  The  difference, 
therefore,  between  what  they  pay  and  that  which  they 
receive  is  four  per  cent.  Banks  of  course  have  other 
sources  of  income,  and  they  also  have  other  items 
chargeable  against  them.  If  any  banking  institution 
in  the  land  should  continuously  fail  to  collect  as  little 
as  five  per  cent  of  its  outstanding  accounts  the  law 
would  very  soon  close  its  doors. 

The  whole  field  of  legitimate  investment  is  based 
upon  margins  similarly  small.  Stocks  that  safely  yield 
say  eight  per  cent  on  the  investment  are  considered 
good,  while  others  yielding  say  only  four  per  cent  are 
comparatively  unattractive.  Or  again,  an  individual 
ventures  into  some  relatively  safe  mercantile  business, 
and  later  disposes  of  his  interests.  In  case  he  receives 
his  principal  and  say  eight  per  cent  annual  interest  on 
his  investment,  he  would  regard  the  venture  as  not 
unsuccessful,  while  if  he  received  his  principal  and  say 
only  four  per  cent  annual  interest,  he  would  undoubt- 


282  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

edly  feel  that  he  could  have  clone  far  better  elsewhere. 

The  fact  should  not  be  lost  sight  of  that  closer  com- 
petition invariably  cuts  clown  the  margins  of  safety. 
The  earning  power  of  money,  which  in  the  main  is  the 
basis  of  all  commercial  investment,  is  lower  in  eastern 
than  in  western  cities.  When  crops  are  abundant,  only 
the  best  material  is  sold,  and  when  poor,  high  prices 
are  paid  even  for  inferior  articles.  When  work  is 
plentiful  any  man  can  get  a  job,  but  when  it  begins  to 
fall  off,  the  men  are  discharged  in  the  order  of  in- 
feriority. The  hurry  of  modern  times  is  bringing  on 
increasing  competition.  The  time  when  men,  who  were 
jack-of-all-trades.  could  succeed  is  rapidly  passing.  The 
work  of  today  calls  for  specialization.  It  calls  for  well- 
trained  men.  Efficiency  engineers  are  employed  by 
nearly  every  big  institution.  Only  recently  such  a  man 
showed  certain  workmen  how  they  could  improve  the 
grade  and  quantity  of  their  work  by  properly  placing 
the  tools  and  material  on  the  benches  before  them,  and 
because  of  this  change  the  factory  was  enabled  to  meet 
the  prices  of  a  hard  pressing  competitor. 

Perhaps  no  term  in  the  English  language  has  been 
more  widely  used  during  the  past  five  years  than  the 
term  "efficiency".  Every  successful  educator,  banker. 
merchant,  manufacturer,  farmer,  stockman,  philan- 
thropist and  even  Christian  is  now  turning  the  search- 
light of  efficiency  inwardly  upon  his  work.  They 
all  know  that  if  they  continue  in  existence  they 
musl  be  able  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  oncoming  wave 
of  closer  competition.  One  notable  and  very  com- 
mendable way  in  which  employers  arc  trying  to  meet 


MARGINS   OF   SUCCESS   AND   FAILURE.         283 

this  condition  is  by  more  carefully  looking'  after  their 
employees  intellectually  and  physically.  Night  schools 
for  workmen  are  being  opened.  Better  sanitary  con- 
ditions are  being  provided.  The  health  of  the  em- 
ployees is  being  more  carefully  guarded,  both  by  free 
medical  treatment  and  by  timely  instructions. 

Several  years  ago  the  business  world  gradually  came 
ti '  regard  workmen  who  indulged  in  the  use  of  alcoholic 
beverages  as  inferior  to  abstainers.  At  the  present 
time  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  scarcely  a  single  heavy 
drinker  holding  a  position  of  trust.  The  drinking 
workingmen  of  today  occupy  positions  of  but  poor 
remuneration  and  of  but  little  importance. 

It  requires  no  prophetic  vision  to  state  that  tobacco 
must  go  next.  Already  the  voice  of  the  employer  is 
bring  raised  against  it.  It  is  true  that  the  outcry  is 
made  principally  against  the  cigarette,  but  that  is  pri- 
marily because  of  the  greater  injury  accomplished  by 
this  particular  form.  The  warfare  against  the  use  of  to- 
bacco has  begun  and  will  not  cease  until  every  individ- 
ual who  insists  upon  reducing  his  efficiency  by  using  it 
will  be  under  the  necessity  of  performing  only  the 
menial  tasks  of  life.  When  such  men  as  Henry  Ford 
Thomas  A.  Edison,  and  scores  of  others,  who  employ 
thousands  of  men,  refuse  to  hire  cigarette  smokers,  the 
campaign  may  be  regarded  as  well  upon  its  way. 

Recently  a  young  man.  who  uses  cigarettes  freely, 
came  to  the  office  of  the  present  writer  and  in  the 
course  of  the  conversation  finally  explained  that  he  had 
become  interested  in  the  investigations  relating  to  to- 
bacco and  wanted  to  know  if  he  might  have  access  to 


284  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

some  of  the  findings.  He  was  given  copies  of  the  in- 
vestigations by  Meylan,  Clarke,  Pack,  Bush  and  others. 
After  spending  an  hour  or  so  upon  them  he  suddenly 
ejaculated,  "Well,  I  do  not  see  anything  serious  in  this 
matter.  The  smokers  in  no  case  seem  to  be  more  than 
about  ten  per  cent  inferior  to  the  non-smokers  and  in 
several  cases  not  more  than  five.  Such  a  slight  differ- 
ence is  not  worth  worrying  about." 

The  young  man  was  simply  giving  expression  to  a 
very  widespread  popular  fallacy.  For  some  unex- 
plainable  reason,  tobacco  users  everywhere  refuse  to  be- 
lieve that  the  habit  is  injurious  unless  the  results  are 
blatantly  glaring.  No  man  seems  to  be  willing  to  ad- 
mit that  tobacco  is  injuring  his  heart  or  his  eyes  until 
pronounced  palpitation  arises  or  until  the  specialist  in- 
forms him  that  the  optic  nerve  is  partially  atrophied. 
He  sees  no  harm  in  the  habit  until  the  insurance  com- 
pany refuses  to  accept  him  because  of  excessively  high 
blood  pressure  or  until  he  becomes  so  nervous  that  he 
cannot  attend  to  ordinary  business  affairs  without  a 
cigar  in  his  mouth. 

Strangely  enough,  many  of  these  inconsistencies  come 
from  business  men  who  know  positively  that  success 
and  failure  are  separated  only  by  very  narrow  mar- 
gins. They  have  learned  that  business  efficiency  con- 
sists essentially  in  taking  care  of  seeming  trifles.  They 
are  necessarily  familiar  with  the  fact  that  competition 
requires  close  attention  to  details,  and,  furthermore, 
that  the  closer  the  competition  becomes  the  narrower 
are  the  margins  of  safety. 

Jt  is  just  as  ridiculous  for  the  average  man  to  assume 


M     RG1NS  OF   SUCCESS   AND   FAILURE.         285 

the  attitude  that  tobacco  is  doing-  him  no  harm  as  it 
would  be  for  the  merchant  knowingly  to  permit  a  leaky 
roof  to  destroy  ten  per  cent  of  his  stock,  and  then  to 
insist  that  it  was  doing  him  no  harm  until  the  sheriff 
pounded  at  his  door  and  awakened  him  from  his 
lethargy.  The  comparison,  moreover,  might  be  re- 
stricted to  the  most  prosperous  merchants  and  to  the 
most  staple  articles  upon  their  shelves,  for  it  is  now 
known  that  the  use  of  tobacco,  even  among  the  very 
best  men  of  America,  is  accompanied  by  a  marked  in- 
jury to  such  vital  organs  as  the  heart,  lungs  and  kid- 
neys. 

The  average  cigarette  smoker  must  not  deceive  him- 
self into  believing  that  the  findings  of  college  and  uni- 
versity investigators  apply  to  him,  because  they  do  not. 
He  belongs  to  the  class  that  failed  out  in  the  grades  or 
high  school,  and  who  never  saw  the  inside  of  a  uni- 
versity building.  In  mentality,  the  average  cigarette 
smoker  is  thought  to  be  at  least  fifty  per  cent  inferior 
to  the  average  college  student.  It  will  be  well,  there- 
fore, in  interpreting  the  results  of  these  investigators  to 
keep  in  mind  that  they  apply  to  the  more  intellectual 
type  of  men  who  have  had  sufficient  courage  and  stick- 
to-itiveness  to  carry  them  toward  higher  ideals,  and 
nut  to  the  average  cigarette  smoker  of  the  street.  Au- 
thorities are  everywhere  agreed  that  boys  and  young 
men  who  acquire  the  cigarette  habit  early,  and  subse- 
quently remain  away  from  school,  have  practically  no 
chance  whatever  to  succeed  in  life. 

Now,  as  to  those  who  do  not  begin  to  use  tobacco 
until  well  toward  manhood,  and,  who  in  consequence. 


2S6  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

arc  not  so  seriously  handicapped:  Investigations  in 
colleges  and  universities,  relative  to  these  men,  have 
universally  shown  that  they  average  from  live  to  ten 
per  cent  poorer  than  their  non-smoking  companions, 
both  with  respect  to  mentality  and  physique.  If  any 
man  in  this  class  should  doubt  that  his  five  or  ten  per 
cent  inferiority  is  not  a  serious  handicap  in  his  life's 
battle  for  success,  he  will  be  under  the  necessity  of  ex- 
plaining why  the  laws  of  nature  have  made  an  excep- 
tion in  his  particular  case.  Bankers  and  life  insurance 
companies,  miners  and  metallurgists,  athletes  and  mer- 
chants measure  their  successes  and  failures  on  margins 
equally  as  small.  Nature  itself,  through  the  operation 
of  unbiased  law,  marks  with  success  those  who  are 
even  minutely  better  equipped  than  their  competing 
companions.  Tt  would  be  well  for  the  tobacco  user  to 
explain  why  the  laws  of  the  universe  should  make  an 
exception  of  him. 


XXIV 

THE  MASTER  MAN 

Recently  the  present  writer  was  engaged  to  make  an 
examination  of  some  springs  from  which  it  was  hoped 
sufficient  water  might  be  developed  to  supply  certain 
state  institutions.  During-  the  course  of  the  investiga- 
tions it  became  necessary  to  cut  several  deep  trenches 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  springs  for  the  purpose  of  reveal- 
ing- the  geological  structure.  The  laborers  for  this  pur- 
pose were  provided  from  among  the  prisoners  at  the 
state  penitentiary.  Day  after  day  as  the  work  was 
being  prosecuted,  the  writer  had  the  experience  of 
mingling  with  the  prisoners  and  talking  with  them 
about  various  matters.  As  acquaintance  with  these 
men  became  more  familiar  the  fact  seemed  to  be  em- 
phasized anew  that  they  constitute  no  separate  class  of 
beings  but  are  simply  ordinary  individuals  gone  wrong. 
Some  of  them  spoke  of  their  mothers  and  some  of  their 
wives  and  children.  Some  were  old  men,  evidently  cal- 
loused by  years,  and  some  were  young  men  scarcely 
more  than  boys.  Each  one,  however,  had  offended  the 
law,  and,  in  consequence,  had  had  his  liberties  curtailed. 
They  no  longer  appeared  as  individuals  with  names  and 
personalities,  but  as  so  many  things  each  of  which  re- 
sponded to  a  number.  Manhood,  individuality,  initia- 
tive, independence  and  practically  all  that  go  to  make 
up  character  had  been  sacrificed  because  of  offense. 
Even  the  greatest  gift  of  God  to  man — the  intellect  and 


288  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

freedom  to  use  it — was  of  little  service  here.  At  the 
command  of  guards  each  one  came  and  went  as  he  was 
told.  They  were  in  reality  mere  things  moving  about 
in  the  form  of  men. 

At  one  time  during  the  progress  of  the  work,  one  of 
the  men — for  such  they  are  except  that  they  have  for- 
feited the  right  to  act  as  such — walked  a  few  yards 
away  from  his  fellow-convicts  for  the  purpose  of  ob- 
taining a  drink  at  a  point  in  the  stream  where  the  water 
appeared  especially  clear  and  inviting.  At  the  com- 
mand of  the  guard,  however,  he  returned  to  the  group 
and  drank  where  he  was  told  to  drink. 

The  full  seriousness  of  the  matter  was  then  borne  in 
on  the  present  writer.  There  before  him  were  human 
beings,  brothers  in  the  great  humanity  of  man,  who 
could  not  act  as  they  chose  to  act,  walk  where  they 
wanted  to  walk,  or  drink  where  they  wanted  to  drink. 

The  night,  after  the  completion  of  the  clay's  work, 
these  fathers,  sons  and  husbands  were  ordered  into  the 
prison  wagon  and  hurried  off  to  stone  walls  and  steel 
rooms.  The  writer  wandered  slowly  homeward  across 
green  fields  richly  decorated  with  the  flowers  of  spring. 
At  a  certain  point  the  meandering  path  divided,  one 
part  extending  through  a  thicket  of  wild  roses  and 
choke  cherries  and  the  other  over  a  hill  sparsely  cov- 
ered with  mountain  sage.  For  a  moment  the  writer 
halted  in  indecision,  and  then  climbed  the  hill  where  a 
full  view  of  an  incomparable  mountain  valley  spread 
out  before  him.  The  sun  which  had  just  gone  behind 
the  distant  mountains  was  tinting  the  clouds  with  a 
thousand   colors.      The  great  Dead   Sea  of  America 


THE  MASTER  MAN.  289 

spread  its  waters  in  the  western  distance,  while  imme- 
diately at  the  eastward  the  Wasatch  mountains,  with 
all  their  grandeur,  towered  far  into  the  sky.  And 
there  in  the  presence  of  nature  only,  inspired  doubtless 
by  the  experiences  of  the  day  and  the  glories  of  spring- 
time, the  writer  uncovered  his  head  and  thanked  God 
for  the  freedom  he  enjoyed  and  for  the  great  principle 
of  liberty  intended  for  the  enjoyment  of  every  living 
soul.  Then  with  what  seemed  to  be  a  new  conception 
of  the  value  of  mastery  and  freedom,  in  contrast  with 
servitude  and  bondage,  he  hastened  homeward. 

Unfortunately  there  are  a  great  many  human  pris- 
oners other  than  those  who  have  violated  the  civil  law, 
and  who  are  just  as  effectively  enslaved  as  if  locked 
behind  doors  of  steel.  It  is  probably  true  that  viola- 
tion of  the  laws  of  health  produces  more  prisoners  than 
any  other  single  cause.  The  reasons  for  such  violation 
are,  in  the  main,  attributable  to  ignorance,  carelessness, 
and  outright  indifference.  Education  in  its  broad  sense 
will  gradually  offset  these  enslaving  agencies  and  man 
will  liberate  himself  from  all  subordination. 

A  little  thought  will  make  plain  the  fact  that  man  is 
intended  for  mastery.  His  superiority  over  all  other 
forms  of  life  is  evidently  not  due  to  his  physical 
strength  and  endurance,  for  almost  countless  others  are 
more  enduring,  more  active,  and  stronger  than  he. 
Stripped  of  his  intellect,  and  possessing  only  brute 
force,  he  would  be  compelled  to  retire  before  the  ad- 
vance of  his  animal  competitors.  As  he  is,  however, 
the  most  ferocious  and  powerful  of  the  animal  kingdom 
concede  to  his  will  or  slink  awav  at  his  coming. 


290  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

Man's  mastery  is  by  no  means  limited  to  the  animal 
and  plant  worlds.  He  is  already  beginning  to  realize 
his  embryonic  mastery  of  the  entire  physical  universe. 
Year  by  year,  as  his  intellect  is  developed,  his  domain  of 
control  is  spreading  out  in  ever  increasing  circles. 
Only  a  few  years  ago  his  most  rapid  means  of  locomo- 
tion came  as  a  result  of  his  subjugating  certain  animals  ; 
now  he  traverses  the  land,  sea  and  air  in  machines  of 
his  own  ingenuity.  Scarcely  more  than  a  memory  back 
he  talked  only  with  those  who  were  near  enough  to  hear 
his  voice ;  now  he  converses  at  ease  with  those  across 
land  and  water  thousands  of  miles  away.  At  one  time 
he  exercised  control  over  physical  things  only  to  the 
extent  of  his  own  animal  strength ;  later  he  compelled 
other  animals  to  do  his  work  for  him ;  then  he  learned 
to  utilize  the  latent  heat  of  wood  and  coal ;  and  now 
he  is  controlling  the  law  of  gravity  and  transmitting 
the  energy  of  streams  to  distant  points  at  will.  All  of 
this,  and  much  more,  has  come  through  a  partial  de- 
velopment of  his  innate  mastery  of  the  physical  world. 

The  advance  of  science  creates  nothing  new.  Dis- 
covery and  invention  simply  find  out  laws  and  com- 
binations of  laws  that  have  ever  existed,  and  subor- 
dinates them  to  the  will  of  man.  Education  consists 
essentially  of  an  acquaintance  with  and  control  of  law. 
Man's  future  development  will  unfold  at  precisely  the 
same  rate  as  his  mastery  increases.  His  present  field 
of  control  is  bounded  by  the  degree  of  his  ignorance. 
For  the  man  who  is  willing  to  work  and  to  apply  the 
results  of  his  findings,  the  future  holds  out  absolutely 
no  limitations. 


THE   MASTER   MAN.  291 

The  present  condition  of  man's  ignorance,  and  conse- 
quent servitude,  is  primarily  repsonsible  for  all  of  his 
sorrow.  Poverty,  disease  and  death  come  as  a  result 
of  his  lack  of  mastery.  His  helplessness  is  well  shown 
when  the  consulting  physician  turns  from  the  bedside 
and  says  that  nothing  more  can  be  done,  or  when  the 
farmer  daily  watches  his  fields  of  grain  as  they  turn 
brown  and  wither  for  want  of  rain.  Yet  man  is  grad- 
ually becoming  master,  and  just  as  he  has  already 
stayed  the  advance  of  certain  types  of  disease  and 
drought,  so  will  he  go  on  eternally  conquering  in  the 
future. 

Among  men  there  is  as  wide  difference  between  in- 
dividuals as  there  is  between  the  prisoner  and  the  free- 
man. One  is  tied  hand  and  foot  by  ignorance  and  per- 
sonal indulgence,  and  the  other  is  gradually  acquiring 
mastery  of  law  and  self.  One  is  satisfied  with  his 
present  conditions,  while  the  other  is  incessantly  work- 
ing for  improvement  both  of  self  and  others.  There  is 
as  much  difference  in  the  ideals  of  these  men  as  there 
was  between  those  of  the  contented  southern  slave  and 
the  ambitious  northern  freeman. 

The  development  of  mastery  first  of  all  begins  with 
self.  Individuals  who  cannot  control  their  own  appe- 
tites, passions  and  impulses  have  yet  to  learn  the  rudi- 
ments of  personal  freedom.  Self-restraint  of  course 
plays  an  important  part  in  the  life  of  every  civilized 
being,  but  altogether  too  commonly  this  restraint  is 
exercised  because  of  fear  of  law,  of  public  opinion  or 
of  sickness.  Such  individuals  are  not  masters  because 
of  right,  but  because  of  fear. 


292  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

No  man  appreciates  the  full  meaning  and  power 
of  himself  unless  he  is  constantly  striving  for  greater 
freedom.  The  man,  under  normal  conditions  who 
cannot  compel  himself  to  refrain  from  wrongdoing 
and  to  "work  for  the  right,  is  not  learning  the 
lesson  of  human  worth.  Neither  is  the  man  free 
who  permits  himself  to  indulge  in  fits  of  temper  or  to 
pamper  abnormal  appetites.  The  master  man,  who 
says  to  himself  do  thus  and  so,  and  then  sees  that  the 
command  is  obeyed,  has  started  well  on  the  road  toward 
the  mastery  of  other  things.  His  success  will  be  lim- 
ited only  by  the  ages  through  which  he  labors,  and  his 
glory,  like  that  of  God,  will  come  as  the  result  of  the 
intelligence  he  thus  obtains. 

The  individual  on  the  other  hand  who  obeys  the 
commands  of  morbid  appetite  or  sensuality  is,  to  that 
extent,  just  as  completely  bound  as  the  prisoner  in  the 
cell  or  the  slave  in  the  field.  He  has  permitted  the 
grosser  things  of  life  to  overcome  those  that  charac- 
terize manhood.  He  has  encouraged  the  carnal  traits 
to  dominate  the  eternal.  His  slavery,  if  continued,  is 
just  as  certain  to  lead  to  decline,  disintegration  and 
dissolution  as  is  the  slavery  of  a  tribe  or  nation.  Suc- 
cess is  as  difficult  to  obtain  under  such  conditions  as 
under  the  lash  of  the  driver's  whip. 

The  principle  of  tribal  and  national  liberty  has  per- 
haps cost  more  effort  and  bloodshed  than  any  other 
principle  involved  in  human  history,  yet  the  real  signifi- 
cance of  personal  liberty  does  not  yet  seem  to  have  been 
comprehended  by  the  masses.  Men  who  would  be 
willing  to  sacrifice  their  lives  for  the  obtaining  of  social 


THE   MASTER  MAN.  293 

and  political  freedom,  very  often  permit  themselves  to 
become  personally  enslaved  by  habits  and  vices  fully  as 
destructive  as  the  slave-holder's  yoke.  Opium  fiends 
and  alcoholic  inebriates  are  pronounced  examples  of 
drug  slaves.  In  both  mind  and  body  they  are  prisoners 
to  perverted  appetites.  During  moments  of  more 
serious  thought  they  may  determine  to  master  them- 
selves and  cast  off  the  enslaving  vice,  but  sooner  or 
later  the  higher  resolves  are  suppressed  and  again 
animal  nature  rules. 

One  of  the  most  splendid  gentlemen  and  husbands 
the  writer  has  ever  known  permitted  himself  to  become 
a  slave  to  the  liquor  habit.  He  cared  for  his  wife,  who 
had  been  confined  to  her  bed  for  several  years,  with  all 
the  tenderness  due  an  infant.  His  business  associates 
regarded  him  as  absolutely  reliable  and  truthful.  He 
himself  entertained  a  very  strong  desire  to  overcome  his 
depraving  habit  and  to  return  to  his  former  manhood. 
When  the  desire  for  drink  would  seize  him  and  he  was 
being  overcome,  he  would  leave  his  home  on  a  long  de- 
touring  trip  for  the  liquor  hall,  but  upon  approaching 
it  the  better  man  within  him  frequently  enabled  him  to 
pass  it  by.  Detour  after  detour,  however,  universally 
brought  him  back  and  forced  him  into  the  door  of  his 
downfall. 

Slaves  to  habit  seem  to  be  of  three  kinds :  those  who 
have  no  desire  to  overcome,  those  who  desire  to  over- 
come but  cannot,  and  those  who  desire  to  overcome 
and  can.  The  great  mass  of  slaves  seem  to  belong  to 
the  first  and  second  classes. 

Students  of  the  tobacco    problem    quite    generally 


294  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

agree  that  the  mass  effects  of  this  habit  are  more  de- 
structive than  alcohol.  The  wide  extent  of  harm  ac- 
complished by  tobacco  is  without  doubt  largely  due  to 
the  indifference  in  which  the  public  regards  it  and  the 
great  number  of  high  class  men  who  permit  themselves 
to  use  it.  Experts  in  the  treatment  of  alcoholism  de- 
clare that  many  patients  can  give  up  their  liquor  much 
more  easily  than  their  tobacco. 

Most  tobacco  users  deny  the  existence  of  any  slavery 
to  the  habit ;  the  denial,  however,  is  much  more  com- 
monly made  by  young  smokers  than  old  ones.  Almost 
every  young  man  will  declare  that  he  can  abandon  the 
habit  at  will,  but  older  men  are  seldom  if  ever  so  pos- 
itive, a  condition  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
younger  men  have  never  tried  and  the  older  ones  have 
tried  and  failed. 

Anti-tobacco  workers  the  world  over  are  turnine 
their  attention  from  the  matter  of  cure  to  prevention. 
Their  united  testimony  is  to  the  effect  that  the  great 
masses  either  do  not  care  to  abandon  the  habit  or  do 
not  possess  sufficient  self-control  to  do  so.  The  in- 
difference these  workers  encounter,  in  their  labor  of 
conversion,  is  equalled  only  by  the  inability  of  converts 
to  make  good.  They  have  learned  that  the  great  mass 
of  smokers  are  content  with  their  condition,  and  that 
of  those  who  try  to  abandon  the  habit  only  a  small  per- 
centage are  finally  successful. 

The  general  belief,  on  the  part  of  many  smokers, 
that  they  are  free  to  leave  off  the  habit  whenever  they 
choose  is  pretty  well  illustrated  by  a  recent  experience 
of  the  writer  with  a  prominent  engineer.     The  engineer 


THE   MASTER   MAN  Z95 

used  tobacco  and  used  it  excessively ;  in  fact  from 
morning  until  night  he  was  scarcely  without  a  cigar  in 
his  mouth.  During  a  conversation  something  arose 
concerning  the  habit  and  the  difficulty  of  abandoning 
it,  but  the  engineer,  while  admitting  that  he  smoked 
freely,  announced  with  some  emphasis  that  he  would 
never  permit  himself  to  smoke  after  he  felt  that  its  use 
was  becoming  a  fixed  habit.  Shortly,  however,  after  un- 
expectedly being  away  from  the  city  for  several  days, 
the  supply  of  tobacco  gave  out.  Hourly  the  engineer 
became  more  and  more  irritable,  and  finally  so  much  so 
that  he  was  almost  incapacitated  for  the  work  expected 
of  him  To  him  everything  seemed  to  go  wrong.  After 
some  considerable  exertion  and  loss  of  time,  however, 
he  succeeded  in  securing  a  new  supply  from  a  neighbor- 
ing mining  camp,  and  then  he  quickly  returned  to  his 
former  self.  Yet  he  insisted  that  he  was  master  of  the 
habit. 

Extended  arguments  going  to  show  that  the  use  of 
tobacco  enslaves  its  users  are  wholly  unnecessary.  Ev- 
ery habitual  smoker  who  is  fair  with  himself  knows  full 
well  the  power  which  the  habit  has  over  him.  Some 
men,  of  course,  are  able  to  abandon  it  much  more  easily 
than  others,  but  not  one  man  out  of  a  thousand  is  able  to 
play  with  tobacco  and  remain  immune  to  its  subjugat- 
ing effects. 

In  other  sections  of  this  work  it  has  been  shown  that 
tobacco  attacks  practically  every  vital  function  of  the 
human  body,  but  aside  from  all  this,  its  mastery  of  man 
is  alone  quite  sufficient  to  condemn  it  as  his  enemy.  At 
first   thought  the  destructive  influence   which   tobacco 


296  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

thus  exerts  upon  its  adherents  may  appear  to  be  but 
slight.  There  is,  however,  an  almost  incalculable  dis- 
tance between  the  master  man  and  the  servant  man. 
One  is  aware  of  the  divine  embryo  within  him,  which, 
if  cultivated,  will  lead  him  into  endless  mastery  of  uni- 
versal law.  He  understands  that  his  progress  is  lim- 
ited only  by  the  efforts  which  he  himself  puts  forth  in 
5nding  out  the  great  unknown.  He  regards  nothing 
as  unknowable  and  uncontrollable,  and  never  weakens 
at  what  to  others  appear  to  be  impossible  tasks.  He 
recognizes  no  great  flights  or  royal  roads  of  personal 
indulgence  leading  to  ideals.  On  the  other  hand,  he 
knows  full  well  that  the  final  goal  of  human  perfection 
— human  mastery — can  be  reached  only  by  small  steps. 
each  one  carved  out  by  personal  achievement,  and,  in 
consequence  of  this  knowledge,  he  measures  his  daily 
advancement  by  his  daily  accomplishments.  He  prac- 
tices personal  stock-taking  and  regards  no  defect,  no 
matter  how  small,  as  inconsequential  in  his  success. 
He  believes  in  the  spirit  of  mastery  and  cultivates  it  by 
continuously  overcoming  difficulties  both  personal  and 
universal. 

The  other  man  is  not  aware  .of  the  slumbering  prin- 
ciple of  eternal  advancement  and  universal  mastery 
latent  within  him.  He  permits  indulgence,  because  it 
brings  temporary  pleasure.  He  seldom  takes  stock  of 
himself,  and  regards  slight  infractions  of  the  laws  of 
nature  as  of  no  consequence  in  the  final  achievements 
of  life.  He  loses  sight  of  the  fact  that  big  things  are 
made  up  of  little  things,  and,  again,  that  his  advance- 
ment depends  upon  his  personal  efforts.     If  he  is  a  re- 


THE   MASTER   MAN.  '  297 

ligious  man  he  expects  Deity  to  erase  his  imperfections 
without  any  act  on  his  part  other  than  believing.  If 
other  than  religions  he  indulges  himself  for  the  attend- 
ant pleasure  and  thinks  but  little  of  the  future. 

It  can  very  truthfully  be  said  that  the  man  who  has 
not  as  yet  learned  of  the  master  spirit  within  him  has 
li:  it  as  yet  learned  to  live.  The  man  who  is  still  bound 
by  the  perverted  impulses  and  passions  of  his  body  is 
just  to  that  extent  still  animal,  and  the  man  who  cannot 
restrain  himself  under  the  attacks  of  temptation  is  not 
far  removed.  The  master  spirit  in  man  characterizes 
him  as  pre-eminent  among  the  animal  kingdom.  That 
he  will  eventually  become  master  not  only  of  the  laws 
of  the  earth,  but  of  the  universe,  will  be  admitted  by 
all  who  are  familiar  with  his  ability  to  progress.  Those 
who  believe  in  the  eternal  spirit  of  man  think  of  him 
as  ever  improving  beyond  the  grave,  and  those  who 
regard  death  as  the  end  will  look  to  succeeding  genera- 
tions for  a  continuation  of  his  work.  Man  will  reach 
relative  mastery  just  as  fast  as  he  gains  knowledge  and 
puts  that  knowledge  into  operation. 


XXV. 

TOBACCO  AND  OUR  SOLDIERS 

In  the  judgment  of  students  of  the  matter  no  greater 
imposition  has  ever  been  thrust  upon  the  American 
people  than  the  recent  effort  to  narcotize  our  armies. 
The  campaign  was  started  just  at  the  moment  when 
our  hearts  began  bleeding  for  the  welfare  of  our  boys 
and  before  we  had  had  time  to  look  the  problem  square- 
ly in  the  face.  Simultaneously  nearly  five  hundred 
newspapers  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  launched 
the  campaign  almost  as  secretly  and  as  swjftly  as  a 
modern  warfare  surprise  attack.  The  American  peo- 
ple were  told  of  the  great  need  of  tobacco  by  our  boys 
"over  there".  They  were  told  of  the  difficulties  of 
obtaining  "good"  tobacco  and  of  the  distress  occasioned 
by  its  absence.  They  were  told  of  the  "actual  benefit" 
derived  from  its  use.  One  article  even  stated  that 
"Cigarettes  help  to  steady  the  nerves  of  the  American 
soldiers  in  the  French  trenches  who  manipulate  the 
difficult  anti-aircraft  guns.  The  steadier  the  nerve  of 
the  man  behind  the  gun,  the  more  of  the  enemy  air- 
planes brought  down."  And  then  these  various  news- 
papers appealed  to  the  American  people  to  send  abund- 
ant quantities  of  "American"  tobacco  to  our  boys. 

And,  strangely  too,  a  great  many  of  the  American 
people  responded.  Well-meaning  men  and  women 
from  one  end  of  our  country  to  the  other  regarded  it 
as  their  bounden  duty  to  do  everything  possible  for  the 


TOBACCO  AND  OUR  SOLDIERS  299 

welfare  of  the  men  who  are  so  valiantly  offering  their 
lives  for  the  good  of  those  who  remain  at  home.  And 
as  a  result  almost  untold  quantities  of  tobacco  were 
unstintingly  paid  for  in  every  section  of  the  country 
and  forwarded  to  our  boys  in  France.  At  first  the 
campaign  urged  simply  that  the  pipes  of  the  soldiers  be 
"well-filled  for  Christmas",  but  since  then  it  has  gone 
on  just  the  same  and  is  still  going. 

The  advertising  matter  for  this  campaign  had  been 
so  well  prepared  and  the  whole  plan  so  well  laid,  and 
launched  at  so  critical  a  time,  that  the  loyalty  of  the 
American  people  permitted  them  to  be  swept  completely 
off  their  feet.  The  pathetic  "stories''  told  of  the  sol- 
diers in  the  French  hospitals  who  were  suffering  more 
for  tobacco  than  for  medical  care,  caught  the  responsive 
ear  of  thousands  of  our  staunchest  citizens  who  are 
normally  opposed  to  the  use  of  tobacco.  They  agreed, 
and  perhaps  properly,  that  if  our  boys  were  suffering 
for  tobacco  and  if  it  would  be  of  any  real  service  to 
them,  then  they  ought  to  have  it. 

But  since  the  first  few  weeks  of  the  tobacco  campaign 
very  many  of  those  who  at  first  were  favorably  im- 
pressed, have  seen  clearly  the  duplicity  of  the  measures 
employed.  It  is  now  a  generally  accepted  belief  that 
behind  and  beneath  the  whole  campaign  are  prominent 
companies  that  have  tobacco  for  sale.  In  fairness, 
however,  it  should  be  stated  that  there  are  still  many 
disinterested  persons  who  believe  in  the  advisability  of 
sending  tobacco  to  the  soldiers. 

In  answer  to  this  monster  imposition  it  can  scarcely 
be  expected  but  what  the  American  people  will  some 


300  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

day  rise  up  in  their  dignity  and  deal  seriously  with  the 
companies  and  individuals  who  have  taken  advantage 
of  our  broken  hearts  for  the  purpose  of  making  per- 
sonal gains. 

The  matter  that  immediately  confronts  us,  how- 
ever, is  the  harm  that  already  has  been  done, 
and  the  method  of  combating  it.  Tobacco  manufac- 
turers are  well  aware  of  the  fact  that  when  once  a 
young  man  begins  the  use  of  tobacco  he  seldom  aban- 
dons it.  They  had  in  mind  the  same  fact  when  several 
years  ago  they  gratuitously  distributed  cigarettes  to  the 
Chinese  people  who  were  just  then  attempting  to  free 
themselves  from  the  opium  evil.  And  in  their  Chinese 
venture  they  were  not  'disappointed,  for  the  annual  toll 
now  paid  by  these  unfortunate  people  is  collected  as 
surely  as  if  levied  by  a  federal  government.  And 
again,  the  American  tobacco  companies  undoubtedly 
had  the  same  fact  in  mind  when  they  recently  set  aside 
nearly  six  million  dollars  to  be  spent  for  advertising 
during  a  single  year.  Our  foremost  authorities  are 
convinced  that  when  the  tobacco  habit  is  fully  acquired 
it  is  abandoned  with  even  more  difficulty  than  the  liquor 
habit. 

And  so  those  who  are  fostering  the  campaign  to 
narcotize  our  armies  may  properly  feel  even  now  that 
their  efforts  have  been  very  successful,  for  already 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  young  men  who  had  never 
smoked  before  entering  the  army,  are  now  regular 
users.  With  their  perfect  knowledge  that  when  a 
young  man  once  smokes  he  seldom  abandons  it.  their 
satisfaction  must  be  the  more  complete. 


TOBACCO  AND  OUR  SOLDIERS  301 

There  can  be  no  doubt,  therefore,  that  a  great  deal 
of  injury  already  has  been  done,  and  unless  the  Amer- 
ican people,  and  perhaps  the  American  Government, 
rise  up  and  oppose  the  advance  of  this  peril  it  will  soon 
seek  to  infest  every  soldier  in  our  great  army. 

The  arguments  set  forth  in  favor  of  sending  tobacco 
to  our  soldiers  have  been  designed  to  appeal  to  every 
phase  of  human  emotion,  and,  unfortunately,  it  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that  practically  every  crucial  argument 
is  based  primarily  upon  misrepresentation  or  actual 
untruth.  The  purpose  of  the  entire  campaign  has  been 
to  convince  the  American  people  and  the  American 
armies  that  tobacco  is  of  actual  service  to  the  soldiers 
and  that  it  is  our  duty  to  send  it  to  them. 

Now,  in  the  first  place,  there  is  not  the  faintest  frag- 
ment of  scientific  proof  that  tobacco  is  of  service  to 
human  beings.  Not  a  single  investigation  has  ever  in- 
dicated, even  in  the  slightest  degree,  that  tobacco  im- 
proves the  normal  activity  of  either  body  or  mind.  But. 
on  the  other  hand,  scientific  imestigations  are  abso- 
lutely unanimous  in  announcing  that  the  use  of  tobacco 
is  invariably  accompanied  by  reduced  efificiencv  both 
mental  and  physical.  Yet,  in  spite  of  these  findings, 
tobacco  vendors  have  announced  in  glaring  headlines 
to  the  American  people  that  our  soldiers  need  tobacco 
and  must  have  it. 

There  is  not  the  slightest  room  for  controversy  in 
the  matter.  Athletic  coaches  universally  assert  that  the 
use  of  tobacco  and  physical  activity  are  invariably  in- 
compatible.    And  in  an  intellectual  way,  not  a  single 


302  TOBACCO   AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

educator  in  the  world  would  be  willing'  to  argue  that 
the  use  of  tobacco  enhances  mental  acumen. 

Scientific  investigation  has  shown  that  the  evil  effects 
of  tobacco  are  not  confined  to  individuals  of  weak  con- 
stitutions, but  that  they  reach  all  users,  no  matter  how 
robust  they  may  be.  It  has  recently  been  shown  that 
the  very  best  men  of  the  nation,  such  as  those  compris- 
ing the  college  football  teams,  suffer  severely  through 
the  ues  of  tobacco.     No  one  is  immune. 

In  the  present  connection  some  experiments  just  re- 
ported by  Dr.  George  J.  Fisher,  who  heads  the  De- 
partment of  Public  Health  in  the  National  Y.  M.  C.  A.. 
are  of  timely  interest.  Doctor  Fisher's  own  general 
summary  of  his  findings  will  perhaps  serve  our  put- 
pose: 

"For  the  past  four  years  I  have  had  a  series  of  ex- 
periments made  at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  College  at  Spring- 
field, Massachusetts,  under  the  direction  of  Professor 
Elmer  Berry,  upon  young  men  between  the  ages  of 
twenty-one  and  twenty-five,  men  of  exceptional  phys- 
ical vigor  who  were  being  trained  as  physical  directors. 
Idie  plan  in  the  experiments  was  to  use  smokers  and 
non-»smokers  alike  so  as  to  note  the  effect  of  smoking 
on  each,  to  have  them  go  through  a  given  test  first 
without  smoking  and  then  try  the  same  test  after  smok- 
ing.   As  a  rule  we  used  a  single  cigar  or  a  cigarette. 

"In  our  first  experiment  we  tested  the  effect  of  smok- 
ing a  cigar  on  the  heart  rate  and  blood  pressure.  A 
single  cigar  increased  the  heart  rate  and  blood  pressure. 
A  most  significant  thing  about  this  experiment  was  the 
apparent  disturbance  to  the  heart  in  that  it  took  some 


TOBACCO  AND  OUR  SOLDIERS  303 

considerable  time  for  the  heart  to  return  to  normal, 
longer  than  we  could  wait  to  measure. 

"In  the  next  experiment,  a  year  later,  we  tried  to  go 
into  this  problem  further  and  gave  a  series  of  exercises 
before  and  after  smoking,  taking  as  before  the  heart 
rate.  This  series  of  tests  revealed,  as  did  the  others, 
that  smokers  have  a  higher  heart  rate  than  non-smokers 
and  that  the  return  to  normal  after  exercise  is  much 
delayed  after  smoking.  For  illustration,  in  74  out  of 
1 18  smoking  tests,  or  62.72  per  cent,  the  heart  rate  was 
increased  and  did  not  return  to  normal  in  fifteen  min- 
utes. In  12  out  of  74  tests  in  which  the  men  did  not 
smoke  fully  97  per  cent  did  return  to  normal  in  less 
than  fifteen  minutes,  the  average  time  being  only  five 
minutes.  The  smoker  does  not  become  fully  habit- 
uated to  smoking. 

"At  the  same  time  that  the  latter  test  was  given  some 
tests  in  muscular  precision  were  made  by  having  the 
men  draw  lines  with  a  pen  on  a  chart  between  narrow 
columns.  Every  time  the  sides  were  touched  an  error 
was  registered.  To  test  the  large  muscular  co-ordina- 
tions the  men  were  required  to  lunge  at  a  target  with 
a  fencing  foil.  In  these  two  tests  all  the  men  showed 
a  loss  in  precision.  This  was  a  great  surprise  to  us. 
1  did  not  dream  that  a  single  cigar  or  the  smoking  of 
two  cigars  which  were  used  in  the  target  thrust  would 
show  any  appreciable  effect. 

"This  led  us  in  our  next  experiment  to  make  some 
experiments  on  the  effects  of  smoking  upon  baseball 
pitching.  Twelve  men,  all  baseball  players,  both 
smokers  and  non-smokers,  were  used.     The  men  in  the 


304  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN    EFFICIENCY 

tests  had  ten  throws  at  a  target  which  were  recorded. 
Then  each  thrower  smoked  a  cigar,  taking  thirty  min- 
utes for  the  purpose,  after  which  they  had  ten  more 
throws  which  were  recorded.  In  another  test  the  men 
rested  in  the  thirty  minute  interval  instead  of  smoking. 
In  another  test  the  men  smoked  two  cigars,  using  sixty 
minutes  between  the  throws.  In  this  way  it  was 
clearly  discovered  what  effect  resting,  or  smoking-  one 
cigar,  or  smoking  two  cigars,  had  upon  accuracy  in 
pitching.  An  official  baseball  was  used.  Fast,  straight 
balls  were  thrown,  the  men  winding  up  for  the  throw- 
as  baseball  pitchers  do. 

"In  Test  A,  after  smoking  one  cigar,  there  was  a 
loss  of  twelve  per  cent  in  accuracy.  In  Test  B,  after 
smoking  two  cigars,  there  was  a  loss  of  fourteen  and 
one-half  per  cent.  In  Test  C,  during  which  no  cigars 
wrere  smoked,  there  was  an  increase  in  accuracy  of  nine 
per  cent,  so  that  the  real  effect  of  the  smoking  should 
be  judged  by  comparing  the  scores  made  after  a  rest 
and  those  after  smoking. 

"We  then  determined  upon  a  further  '  test  of  co- 
ordination and  because  of  the  interest  in  the  war  we 
selected  rifle  shooting.  The  Wesson  Revolver  Club 
Range  of  Springfield  was  used  and  Air.  Wesson  fur- 
nished rifles  and  ammunition.  Five  shots  at  a  target 
twenty  yards  distant  were  fired,  then  either  a  rest  or  a 
smoke  was  indulged  in,  then  five  more  shots  were  fired. 
The  prOne  position  was  used.  Five  tests  were  made  in 
the  first.  Briefly  the  results  were  these:  In  test  num- 
ber one.  when  the  men  did  not  smoke,  they  showed  an 
increase  in  accuracy  of  seven  per  cent.      In  the  second 


TOBACCO  AND  OUR  SOLDIERS  305 

test,  after  smoking  one  cigar,  there  was  a  loss  in  ac- 
curacy of  four  and  eight-tenths  per  cent.  In  the  third 
test,  in  which  the  men  smoked  two  cigars,  there  was  a 
loss  in  accuracy  of  six  per  cent.  In  the  fourth  experi- 
ment, after  smoking  two  cigarettes,  there  was  a  loss 
in  scoring  of  one  and  eight-tenths  per  cent.  In  the 
fifth  experiment,  in  which  the  men  did  not  smoke, 
there  was  a  gain  in  accuracy."  The  gain  was  13.2 
per  cent. 

Very  briefly  stated  then,  it  has  been  shown  that  the 
use  of  one  cigar  is  followed  by  an  increase  of  heart 
rate;  that  it  delays  the  return  of  the  heart  to  normal 
(after  exercise)  to  more  than  two  and  one-half  times 
its  natural  period,  or,  in  other  words,  that  the  heart  of 
the  smoker  requires  two  and  one-half  times  as  long  to 
become  normal  (after  exercise)  as  does  that  of  the  non- 
smoker  ;  that  it  destroys  the  accuracy  of  finer  muscular 
control  by  nearly  25  per  cent,  and  of  more  violent 
physical  precision,  such  as  thrusting  a  foil  as  in  fencing, 
by  practically  10  per  cent;  that  it  decreases  the  accuracy 
of  throwing  by"  20  per  cent,  and  that  it  destroys  pre- 
cision in  rifle  shooting  by  fully  12  to  15  per  cent. 

It  will  be  well  for  the  reader  to  remember  that  the 
men  involved  in  these  experiments  were  all  young  men 
of  the  athletic  type  and  far  superior  physically  to  the 
average  American  soldier. 

Another  point  of  great  interest  brought  out  by  these 
experiments  is  that  the  ill  effects  following  the  use  of 
tobacco  are  just  about  as  marked  in  the  case  of  habitual 
smkors  as  in  the  case  of  those  who  have  never  used 
tobacco  before.     It  would  appear  that  the  human  body 


306  TOBACCO  AND   HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

never  becomes  accustomed  to  the  use  of  tobacco,  even 
though  the  user  may  think  that  it  does. 

The  results  of  these  experiments  have  a  deep  mean- 
ing when  applied  to  the  American  army.  After  being 
admitted  to  enlistment  the  average  soldier  is  kept  for 
months  under  strenuous  training  before  he  is  permitted 
to  go  to  the  front.  During  this  period  he  is  put 
through  a  wide  variety  of  physical  gymnastics.  His 
food  is  selected  with  the  greatest  care  and  his  living 
quarters  are  maintained  in  harmony  with  the  most 
highly  approved  sanitary  measures.  In  other  words, 
no  effort  is  spared  to  make  him  just  as  nearly  physically 
perfect  as  possible.  Yet  the  American  people  are  being 
urged  to  send  an  agent  to  him  that  will  reduce  every 
phase  of  his  efficiency  as  a  soldier. 

Aside  from  the  fact  that  the  use  of  tobacco  strikes  a 
telling  blow  at  the  soldier's  nerves  and  his  general  ac- 
curacy while  in  action,  it  robs  him  of  the  vitality  neces- 
sary to  combat  disease.  It  is  no  wonder  that  smokers, 
with  fully  ten  per  cent  of  the  lungs  destroyed,  quickly 
succumb  to  the  ravages  of  pneumonia  and  tuberculosis. 
It  is  reported  that  already  more  than  100.000  men  have 
been  dismissed  from  the  French  army  alone  because  of 
tuberculosis,  and  surpassing  this  number  by  far  is  the 
great  army  that  already  has  died  of  pneumonia.  Army 
physicians  are  unanimous  in  reporting  that  the  use  of 
tobacco  increases  the  death  rate  from  practically  every 
type  of  disease  to  which  our  soldiers  are  subject. 

In  view  of  these  facts  it  scarcely  seems  possible  that 
the  American  people  would  knowingly  permit  the  en- 
trance of  an  agent  into  the  army  that  will  unquestion- 


TOBACCO  AND  OUR  SOLDIERS  307 

ably  reduce  the  efficiency  of  every  man  who  uses  it. 
Yet  this  is  precisely  what  is  being-  done  in  the  case  of 
tobacco.  If  an  agent  of  Germany  were  discovered  in 
any  act  whatsoever  that  tends  to  the  reduction  of  our 
army's  efficiency  he  would  sternly  be  dealt  with.  In 
view  of  the  irreparable  injury  being  done  to  our  army 
it  might  almost  be  suspected  that  the  campaign  to  send 
tobacco  to  our  soldiers  was  conceived  and  financed  by 
the  enemy.  The  Kaiser  today  has  no  greater  ally 
among  the  American  soldiers  than  tobacco. 

For  the  past  four  years  the  great  armies  in  France 
have  been  in  a  condition  of  dead-lock.  Neither  side 
has  made  decisive  gains,  and  at  present  the  two  most 
efficient  armies  the  world  has  ever  known  are  so  evenly 
matched  that  vital  movements  seem  to  be  impossible. 
Immediate,  overwhelming  defeat  on  the  part  of  either 
side  is  wholly  unlooked  for. 

There  can  be  no  question  that  eventually  the  war  will 
be  won  on  small  margins  of  superiority,  and  to  this  end 
the  American  people  are  now  bending  every  effort.  No 
one  will  dare  to  contradict  the  statement  that  if  the 
armies  of  the  Allies  could  go  forth  equal  to  their  oppo- 
nents in  every  respect,  and  superior  to  them  to  the 
extent  of  say  only  ten  per  cent  in  endurance,  in  resist- 
ance to  disease,  in  recovery  from  disease  and  accident, 
in  recuperation  from  fatigue,  and  in  marksmanship, 
the  great  war  would  be  terminated  within  a  very  short 
time.  And  it  is  equally  true  that  no  one  who  is  really 
familiar  with  the  matter  will  deny  that  abstinence  from 
tobacco  would  bring  about  this  superiority. 

It  has  been  argued  in  some  quarters  that  the  old 


308  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

smokers  of  the  army  would  suffer  greatly  if  they  were 
deprived  of  their  tobacco.  It  will  be  recalled,  how- 
ever, that  Doctor  Fisher  has  shown  that  habitual 
smokers  rapidly  improve  almost  immediately  after  dis- 
continuing its  use,  and  that  they  suffer  practically  as 
much  as  non-smokers  when  they  resort  to  it. 

It  certainly  would  be  a  sweeping  measure  to  demand 
that  all  the  habitual  smokers  of  the  army  give  up  their 
tobacco,  and  it  would  undoubtedly  here  and  there  en- 
tail serious  hardship.  But  the  great  war  has  brought 
on  trials  and  hardships,  and  they  are  reaching  every 
American  citizen.  We  are  now  cheerfully  submitting 
to  "regulations"  and  "restrictions''  which  under  nor- 
mal conditions  would  be  almost  offensive  to  our  ideals 
of  personal  liberty.  But  freedom  must  be  made  safe, 
and  every  agent  that  stands  in  the  way  of  our  preserv- 
ing it  must,  at  least  temporarily,  be  set  aside.  If  men 
make  better  soldiers  without  tobacco,  then  for  the  sake 
of  their  country  they  ought  not  to  smoke. 

But  the  matter  of  old  smokers  abandoning  the  use 
of  tobacco  is  not  nearly  so  vital  as  that  of  preventing 
others  from  acquiring  it.  Hundreds  and  thousands  of 
the  young  men  now  entering  the  army  have  never  used 
tobacco  in  any  form,  but  the  plan  of  supplying  it  free 
to  the  soldiers  and  of  encouraging  them  to  use  it,  places 
a  serious  temptation  in  the  hands  of  every  one  of  them. 
Up  to  the  present  time  there  is  probably  not  one  man 
in  our  army  who  lias  not  been  tendered  the  free  use  of 
tobacco.  For  the  sake  of  the  thousands  of  young  men 
who  are  yet  to  go  to  the  defense  of  freedom,  the  Amer- 
ican people  should  no  longer  tolerate  a  campaign  that 


TOBACCO  AND  OUR  SOLDIERS  309 

will  unquestionably  reduce  their  efficiency  as  soldiers 
and  their  chances  of  returning  home. 

Certainly  it  would  be  a  great  monument  to  American 
patriotism  if  the  smokers  of  our  country  and  army 
would  rise  up  to  a  man  and  abandon  it.  Aside  from 
the  fact  that  by  so  doing  they  would  create  an  army 
superior  to  any  upon  European  soil,  they  would  assist 
greatly  in  our  plan  of  conservation.  More  than  one 
and  one-half  billion  dollars  now  annually  paid  for  to- 
bacco would  be  diverted  from  useless  to  useful  channels. 
This  gigantic  sum  would  be  sufficient  continuously  to 
supply  an  army  of  practically  two  and  one-half  million 
men.  And  in  addition  more  than  one  hundred  thou- 
sand men  and  women  would  be  released  from  the  to- 
bacco business  and  made  available  for  constructive  en- 
terprises. 

Or  if  the  tobacco  interests,  who  are  now  actively 
urging  us  to  send  tobacco  to  our  soldiers,  really  wished 
to  perform  a  patriotic  service  to  our  country,  they 
should  announce  that  at  least  for  the  period  of  the  war 
they  will  discontinue  the  growth  and  sale  of  tobacco, 
for  by  so  doing  they  would  not  only  directly  increase 
the  efficiency  of  the  army,  but  they  would  release  for 
other  purposes  the  one  and  one-half  million  acres  of 
land  now  used  for  growing  tobacco.  These  great 
tracts  of  land  would  annually  produce  twenty  to  twen- 
ty-five million  bushels  of  wheat  or  twice  that  amount 
of  corn — an  equivalent  in  flour  sufficient  for  an  army 
of  fully  two  million  men. 

American  interests  everywhere,  from  those  of  the 
humblest  housewife  to  those  of  the  wealthiest  financier, 


310  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

are  being  converged  into  a  common  cause.  Railroad 
magnates  and  shop  girls  are  cheerfully  "doing  their 
bit".  It  would  be  only  real  loyalty  if  the  American 
tobacco  interests  would  abandon  the  growth  and  sale 
of  a  useless  substance  and  convert  their  fields  into  wav- 
ing grain  sufficient  to  feed  a  gigantic  army. 

But  it  is  doubtful  that  such  action  can  be  expected. 
Any  interest  that  will  furnish  tobacco  to  a  heathen  who 
is  struggling  to  free  himself  from  an  enslaving  habit, 
that  will  annually  spend  millions  to  induce  young  peo- 
ple to  acquire  a  ruinous  habit,  and  that  will  urge  us  to 
send  tobacco  to  our  soldiers  when  science  has  positively 
demonstrated  its  use  to  be  detrimental,  interests  of  this 
kind,  we  say,  can  scarcely  be  expected  to  take  the  lead 
in  matters  ,of  reform. 

Readers  of  course  will  do  well  to  distinguish  between 
the  great  army  of  well-meaning  laymen,  who  have  un- 
wittingly permitted  themselves  to  be  used  as  mere  tools 
in  this  gigantic  campaign,  and  the  profiting  interests 
behind  it.  Upon  the  table  before  the  present  writer  is 
a  list  of  donors  to  a  local  tobacco  fund;  women's 
names  are  greatly  in  excess  of  men's.  The  immense 
army  of  mothers,  sisters,  sweethearts,  fathers,  preach- 
ers, editors,  and  many  others,  who  are  now  assisting  in 
the  campaign  to  supply  tobacco  to  the  soldiers,  will 
sooner  or  later  awaken  to  the  fact  that  they  have  been 
trapped  into  doing  our  army  and  our  country  an  irre- 
parable wrong. 


XXVI 

ATTITUDE    OF    THE.    CHURCH   OF  JESUS  CHRIST 

OF  LATTER-DAY    SAINTS    TOWARD 

THE  USE  OF  TOBACCO. 

The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints, 
frequently  called  the  "Mormon"  Church,  was  organized 
in  the  state  of  New  York  on  the  6th  day  of  April,  1830, 
practically  88  years  ago.  From  the  outset  the  Church 
distinguished  itself  from  other  religious  organizations 
by  a  large  number  of  characterisitc  doctrines,  chief 
among  which  was  that  of  continuous  revelation.  The 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  founder  and  leader  of  the  or- 
ganization, declared  to  the  world  that  he  had  talked 
face  to  face  with  the  Father  and  the  Son  several  years 
before  the  Church  was  arganized,  and  that  upon  num- 
erous subsequent  occasions  he  received  direct  revelation 
from  God  relative  to  the  welfare  of  the  Church  and  its 
members. 

The  Church  from  its  beginning  has  maintained  an 
active  missionary  system,  resulting  in  a  gradual,  and  at 
times,  rapid  increase  in  the  number  of  its  adherents.  The 
early  membership  consisted  entirely  of  new  converts 
principally  from  other  religious  organizations,  who, 
naturally  enough,  retained  many  of  their  former  prac- 
tices, especially  those  not  discountenanced  by  the 
Church. 

Tt  is  not  at  all  surprising,  moreover,  to  learn  that 
many  of  the  early  members  brought  with  them  habits, 


312  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

such  as  the  use  of  tobacco  and  alcoholic  beverages, 
to  which  they  had  been  accustomed  before  their  con- 
version. Scarcely  three  years  after  the  Church  was 
organized,  however,  the  members  were  given,  through 
direct  revelation  from  God,  some  very  definite  instruc- 
tions concerning  these  and  other  habits,  and  since  that 
time  the  Church  has  never  ceased  to  wage  a  vigorous 
campaign  against  them. 

The  following  quotation  from  the  Doctrine  and 
Covenants  constitutes  a  revelation  given  to  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith  in  1833  at  Kirtland,  Ohio,  which  at  that 
time  was  the  headquarters  of  the  Church : 

"A  Word  of  Wisdom,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Council 
of  High  Priests,  assembled  in  Kirtland,  and  the 
Church ;  and  also  the  saints  in  Zion. 

"To  be  sent  greeting — not  by  commandment  or  con- 
straint, but  by  revelation  and  the  word  of  wisdom, 
showing  forth  the  order  and  will  of  God  in  the  tem- 
poral salvation  of  all  saints  in  the  last  days. 

"Given  for  a  principle  with  promise,  adapted  to  the 
capacity  of  the  weak  and  the  weakest  of  all  saints,  who 
are  or  can  be  called  saints. 

"Behold,  verily,  thus  saith  the  Lord  unto  you,  in 
consequence  of  evils  and  designs  which  do  and  will 
exist  in  the  hearts  of  conspiring  men  in  the  last  days,  I 
have  warned  you,  and  forewarn  you,  by  giving  unto 
you  this  word  of  wisdom  by  revelation, 

"That  inasmuch  as  any  man  drinketh  wine  or 
strong  drink  among  you,  behold  it  is  not  good,  neither 
meet  in  the  sight  of  your  Father,  only  in  assembling 


LATTER-DAY    SAINTS    AND    TOBACCO         313 

yourselves  together  to  offer  up  your  sacraments  before 
him. 

"And,  behold,  this  should  be  wine,  yea,  pure  wine 
of  the  grape  of  the  vine,  of  your  own  make. 

"And,  again, strong  drinks  are  not  for  the  belly,  but 
for  the  washing  of  your  bodies. 

'*.  hid  again,  tobacco  is  not  for  the  body,  neither  for 
the  belly,  and  is  not  good  for  man,  but  is  an  herb  for 
bruises  and  all  sick  cattle,  to  be  used  with  judgment 
and  skill. 

"And  again,  hot  drinks  are  not  for  the  body  or  belly. 

"And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  all  wholesome 
herbs  God  hath  ordained  for  the  constitution,  nature. 
and  use  of  man. 

"Every  herb  in  the  season  thereof,  and  every  fruit  in 
the  season  thereof;  all  these  to  be  used  with  prudence 
and  thanksgiving. 

"Yea,  flesh  also  of  beast  and  of  the  fowls  of  the  air, 
I,  the  Lord,  have  ordained  for  the  use  of  man  with 
thanksgiving;  nevertheless  they  are  to  be  used  spar- 
ingly ; 

"And  it  is  pleasing  unto  me  that  they  should  not  be 
used  only  in  times  of  winter,  or  of  cold,  or  famine. 

"All  grain  is  ordained  for  the  use  of  man  and  of 
beasts,  to  be  the  staff  of  life,  not  only  for  man  but  for 
the  beasts  of  the  field,  and  the  fowls  of  heaven,  and  all 
wild  animals  that  run  or  creep  on  the  earth  ; 

"And  these  hath  God  made  for  the  use  of  man  only 
in  times  of  famine  and  excess  of  hunger. 

"All  grain  is  good  for  the  food  of  man,  as  also  the 


314  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN  EFFICIENCY 

fruit  of  the  vine,  that  which  yieldeth  fruit,  whether  in 
the  ground  or  above  the  ground. 

"Nevertheless,  wheat  for  man,  and  corn  for  the  ox. 
and  oats  for  the  horse,  and  rye  for  the  fowls  and  for 
swine,  and  for  all  beast  of  the  field,  and  barley  for  all 
useful  animals,  and  for  mild  drinks,  as  also  other  grain. 

"And  all  saints  who  remember  to  keep  and  do  these 
sayings,  walking  in  obedience  to  the  commandments, 
shall  receive  health  in  their  navel,  and  marrow  to  their 
bones, 

"And  shall  find  wisdom  and  great  treasures  of 
knowledge,  even  hidden  treasures; 

"And  shall  run  and  not  be  weary,  and  shall  walk  and 
not  faint ; 

"And  I,  the  Lord,  give  unto  them  a  promise,  that  the 
destroying  angel  shall  pass  by  them,  as  the  children  of 
Israel,  and  not  slay  them.     Amen. 


For  the  reader's  convenience  the  writer  has  taken 
the  liberty  of  placing  in  italics  that  part  of  the 
revelation  that  particularly  applies  to  our  present 
discussion. 

It  may  be  well  to  make  note  of  the  fact  that  at  this 
early  date  the  Lord  did  not  offer  the  Word  of  Wisdom 
as  a  direct  "commandment  or  restraint".  On  the  other 
hand,  he  did  offer  it  as  the  "will  of  God",  and  said  that 
compliance  with  it  would  be  "pleasing"  unto  Him. 
There  has  never  been  any  room  for  any  question  in  the 
minds  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  in  regard  to  their  duty 
in  this  matter.      Whatever  is  the  "will  of  God"  and 


LATTER-DAY    SAINTS    AND    TOBACCO         315 

"pleasing"  unto  Him  constitutes  sufficient  reason  for 
strict  compliance  with  every  detail. 

It  should  also  be  noted  that  the  Word  of  Wisdom 
was  given  to  "all"  of  the  saints,  and  that  it  was 
"adapted  to  the  capacity  of  the  weak  and  the  weakest 
of  all  saints  who  are  or  can  be  called  saints".  The 
marvelous  promises  based  upon  compliance  with  the 
Word  of  Wisdom  and  "obedience  to  the  command- 
ments" will  receive  some  attention  in  later  paragraphs. 

It  should  hardly  be  expected  that  the  tobacco  habit, 
and  other  habits  condemned  by  the  Word  of  Wisdom, 
would  immediatly  be  abandoned  by  all  Church  mem- 
bers, even  though  they  knew  that  it  is  the  "will  of 
God".  .No  one  knows  the  difficulty  of  laying  these 
habits  aside  quite  so  well  as  those  who  have-  acquired 
them  and  have  tried  to  give  them  up.  Then  again 
church  membership  always  includes  some  who  are  not 
staunch  and  fullfledged. 

It  is  to  the  great  credit  of  the  Latter-day  Saints, 
however,  that  immediatly  after  receiving  the  Word  of 
Wisdom,  vigorous  steps  were  taken  to  see  that  its 
terms  were  complied  with.  Almost  as  a  unit  the  elders 
of  the  Church,  who  had  previously  indulged  in  objec- 
tionable practices,  abandoned  them  and  at  once  set  out 
to  convince  the  laity  that  they  should  do  likewise.  The 
response  as  a  whole  must  have  been  gratifying,  for  vast 
numbers  of  the  Church  membership  immediately  com- 
plied with  the  call  of  their  leaders. 

It  is  of  course  natural  that  here  and  there  individuals 
failed  to  give  heed  to  the  admonitions  of  the  revelation, 
and,  furthermore,  that  some  who  had  at  first  aband- 


316  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

oned  their  habits  later  returned  to  them.  It  seems  that 
the  leaders  adopted  a  policy  of  leniency,  hoping  that 
time  and  forbearance  would  enable  everyone  to  live  up 
to  the  requirements  of  the  will  of  God.  And  in  this 
they  were  largely  successful,  for  as  years  passed  the 
percentage  of  Church  members  using  tea,  coffee,  alco- 
holic beverages,  tobacco  and  other  objectionable  sub- 
stances gradually  decreased.  This  condition  was  quickly 
brought  about  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  large  num- 
bers of  converts  were  continuously  being  added  to  the 
Church.  At  the  present  time  there  is  unquestionably 
no  other  similar  body  of  men  and  women  in  the  world 
who  are  as  singularly  free  from  objectionable  habits 
as  are  the  Latter-day  Saints. 

These  results,  however,-  were  not  attained  without 
careful  and  continuous  work  on  the  part  of  the  Church 
leaders  and  an  unbending  desire  on  the  part  of  the  laity 
to  comply  with  the  full  pleasure  of  God's  will.  In  the 
early  days  of  the  Church,  delinquent  members  were 
urged  to  "keep  the  Word  of  Wisdom",  but  there 
seemed  to  be  very  few  cases  of  discipline  for  non-com- 
pliance.  Tt  was  not  long,  however,  until  the  Church 
officials  began  to  feel  that  the  brethren  had  had  plenty 
of  time  in  which  to  reform,  and  especially  that  teachers 
among  them  were  unworthy  of  the  callings  if  they 
persisted  in  indulging  in  objectionable  habits.  The 
following  statement  was  made  by  Patriarch  Hyrum 
Smith,  in  1842,  almost  exactly  two  years  before  his 
martyrdom : 

"Tobacco  is  a  nauseaous,  stinking,  abominable  thing, 
and  I  am  surprised  that  any  human  being  should  think 


LATTER-DAY    SAINTS    AND    TOBACCO         317 

of  using"  it — for  an  elder  especially  to  eat  or  smoke  it. 
it  is  a  disgrace  to  him;  he  is  not  fit  for  the  office;  he 
ought  first  to  learn  to  keep  the  Word  of  Wisdom,  and 
then  to  teach  others.  God  will  not  prosper  the  man 
who  uses  it."  (Times  and  Seasons,  June  1,  1842, 
Vol.  Ill,  page  800.) 

During  the  presidency  of  Brigham  Young  the 
Church  leaders  kept  up  a  constant  campaign  in  line 
with  the  Word  of  Wisdom.  President  Young  himself 
taught  in  very  positive  terms  the  absolute  necessity  of 
compliance  with  the  will  of  God  in  this  matter.  All 
of  the  other  leaders  down  to  and  including  the  present 
head  of  the  Church  have  felt  and  taught  that  members 
who  are  not  keeping  the  Word  of  Wisdom  are  scarcely 
in  full   fellowship. 

During  the  past  decade  a  more  and  more  rigorous 
attitude  has  been  assumed  toward  members  who  persist 
in  using  tea,  coffee,  tobacco  and  alcoholic  beverages. 
Instructions  have  been  sent  out  by  the  First  Presidency 
to  the  proper  officers  that  no  men  either  young  or  old 
shall  be  ordained  to  the  Priesthood  who  use  these  sub- 
stances. Instructions  are  also  given  that  in  the  se- 
lection of  missionaries  no  one  must  be  recommended 
who  uses  them.  Similar  instructions  have  been  given 
with  respect  to  the  selection  of  officers  laboring  within 
the  Church  at  home.  Admission  to  the  temples,  which 
is  granted  only  to  members  in  full  fellowship,  is  re- 
fused to  those  who  do  not  keep  the  Word  of  Wisdom. 
And,  it  might  be  added,  these  instructions  are  being 
very  strictly  followed. 

To  the  average  visitor  among  the  "Mormon"  people 


318  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

one  of  the  most  notable  features  is  the  almost  complete 
absence  of  smoking.  One  could  stand  at  the  gates  of 
the  great  tabernacle  grounds  in  Salt  Lake  City  at  the 
dismissal  of  a  special  priesthood  meeting,  composed  of 
both  old  and  young  men,  and  out  of  the  thousands 
present  could  not  see  a  single  man  who  uses  tobacco. 
The  unstained  whiteness  of  the  old  men's  beards  and 
the  general  sweetness  of  person  are  features  of  which 
these  people  should  be  justly  proud. 

The  "Mormon"  people  are  not  waiting  for  Deity  fo 
do  it  all.  They  believe  that  God  will  bring  about  his 
purposes  through  the  operation  of  natural  law,  and 
that  He  expects  them  to  do  their  part.  And  so  they 
are  striving  daily  to  eliminate  deterring  factors,  hop- 
ing that  as  each  difficulty  is  overcome  they  will  re- 
ceive light  and  strength  to  go  forward  with  the  next. 

When  the  whole  truth  of  what  these  people  have  al- 
ready accomplised  becomes  known,  the  results  will  be 
regarded  as  nothing  short  of  marvelous.  The  remark- 
ably low  death  rate  of  communities  composed  predomi- 
nantly of  "Mormons"  is  not  alone  due  to  climatic  and 
sanitary  conditions,  as  is  proven  by  the  fact  that  the 
death  rate  among  Mormons  is  much  lower  than  among 
non-Mormons  living  in  the  same  communities.  Nat- 
urally enough,  not  all  of  the  "Mormon"  people  have 
been  keeping  the  Word  of  Wisdom,  and,  in  conse- 
quence, the  average  death  rate  of  the  whole  body  is 
above  that  of  those  who  are  faithfully  performing  their 
duties.  Recent  studies  among  large  families  who  have 
kept  fhe  Word  of  Wisdom  for  three  or  four  generations 


LATTER-DAY    SAINTS    AND    TOBACCO         319 

have  yielded  almost  unbelievable  results  in  the  matter 
of  low  death  rate  and  general  absence  of  sickness. 

Notwithstanding  the  wonderful  success  that  has  al- 
ready been  attained,  the  Church  feels  that  there  is  yet 
much  to  be  done.  There  still  remain  some  few  of  the 
older  members  who  must  be  induced,  if  possible,  to 
abandon  objectionable  habits.  Then  again  the  great 
army  of  converts  must  be  properly  trained,  and  above 
all  the  welfare  of  the  youth  of  Zion  must  be  safe- 
guarded. To  this  end  the  Church  is  using  the  strength 
of  its  wonderful  organization.  The  Word  of  Wisdom 
is  everywhere  being  preached  by  its  elders,  and  in  ad- 
dition, it  is  being  taught  in  its  various  auxiliary  organ- 
izations, including  the  Primary,  Religion  Class,  Sun- 
day School,  Young  Men's  and  Young  Ladies'  Mutual 
Improvement  Associations,  Relief  Society  and  Church 
School  System,  so  that  practically  every  member  of  the 
"Mormon"  Church  is  constantly  in  touch  with  its  influ- 
ence. 

The  blessings  promised  as  a  result  of  compliance 
with  the  Word  of  Wisdom  and  "obedience  to  the  com- 
mandments" are  just  beginning  to  be  realized.  The 
Church  is  looking  forward  to  the  time  when  bv  right 
living,  which  means  compliance  with  the  laws  of  God, 
and,  therefore,  with  the  laws  of  nature,  sickness,  dis- 
ease and  distress  will  be  removed.  The  Latter-day  Saints 
believe  that  many  of  the  weakness  and  imperfections  of 
the  human  body  are  legacies  born  of  the  improper  hab- 
its of  their  ancestors — that  they  are  the  sins  of  the 
fathers  being  visited  upon  the  children  to  the  third  and 


320  TOBACCO  AND  HUMAN   EFFICIENCY 

fourth  generations — and  they  hope  that  by  proper  living, 
and  the  blessings  of  the  Lord,  sickness  will  eventually  he 
eliminated  and  that  the  length  .of  the  human  life  will 
be  restored  to  the  "age  of  a  tree". 


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